surprise

/sə(r)ˈpraɪz/

/səˈpraɪz/

Other forms: surprised; surprising; surprises

A surprise can be an unexpected or astonishing event, such as an ambush or a really great grade on a test you didn't study for.

Surprise can be a verb meaning to astonish or startle someone, a noun for the unexpected thing, or for the feeling produced by that surprise. It comes from the Latin word for "seize," and originally meant an unexpected military attack. When the novelist Charles Lever wrote in 1841 of "three cavalry regiments, their noiseless gestures and perfect stillness bespeaking at once that they were intended for a surprise party," he meant a surprise attack, not a birthday party.

Definitions of surprise

1. verb

   come upon or take unawares
   “She surprised the couple”

   “He surprised an interesting scene”

   types:

   blindside

   catch unawares, especially with harmful consequences

   type of:

   act, move

   perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
2. verb

   attack by storm; attack suddenly
   synonyms: storm

   type of:

   assail, attack

   launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with
3. verb

   cause to be surprised
   “The news really surprised me”

   types:

   amaze, astonish, astound

   affect with wonder

   explode a bombshell

   utter or do something surprising

   catch

   discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state

   boggle, bowl over, flabbergast

   overcome with amazement

   ball over, blow out of the water, floor, shock, startle, take aback

   surprise greatly; knock someone's socks off

   dazzle

   amaze or bewilder, as with brilliant wit or intellect or skill

   galvanise, galvanize, startle

   to stimulate to action

   type of:

   affect, impress, move, strike

   have an emotional or cognitive impact upon
4. noun

   the act of surprising someone
   synonyms: surprisal

   type of:

   disruption, perturbation

   the act of causing disorder
5. noun

   a sudden unexpected event
   types:

   bombshell, thunderbolt, thunderclap

   a shocking surprise

   coup de theatre

   a dramatic surprise

   eye opener

   something surprising and revealing

   peripeteia, peripetia, peripety

   a sudden and unexpected change of fortune or reverse of circumstances (especially in a literary work)

   blow, shock

   an unpleasant or disappointing surprise

   stunner

   an unexpected and amazing event

   blip

   a sudden minor shock or meaningless interruption

   type of:

   alteration, change, modification

   an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
6. noun

   the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
   type of:

   amazement, astonishment

   the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising