startle

1 of 2

verb

star·​tle ˈstär-tᵊl 

startled; startling ˈstär-tᵊl-iŋ 

ˈstärt-liŋ

intransitive verb

: to move or jump suddenly (as in surprise or alarm)

the baby startles easily

transitive verb

: to frighten or surprise suddenly and usually not seriously

startlement

ˈstär-tᵊl-mənt 

noun

startle

2 of 2

noun

: a sudden mild shock (as of surprise or alarm)

Synonyms

Verb

• amaze
• astonish
• astound
• bowl over
• dumbfound
• dumfound
• flabbergast
• floor
• rock
• shock
• stun
• stupefy
• surprise
• surprize
• thunderstrike

Examples of startle in a Sentence

Verb

I'm sorry that I startled you.

the lightning startled the children and sent them scurrying for cover

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

One of the movie’s scenes — startling for its frankness but also its visual beauty — finds the men reclined in the dark of the mine. —The New York Times, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

The investigations left some school leaders startled and confused, wondering what prompted the inquiries. —Cheyanne Mumphrey, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025

Noun

Threaten the rubber hand by attempting to stab it with a dagger, for instance, and the participants exhibit an involuntary startle or fear response. —ArsTechnica, 31 Mar. 2025

Vasas and her colleagues also captured the brief startle display of a black swallowtail caterpillar and saw for the first time that its hornlike defense appendages are UV-reflective. —Lauren Leffer, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English stertlen, frequentative of sterten to start

First Known Use

Verb

1530, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1603, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

startle

verb

star·​tle

ˈstärt-ᵊl

startled; startling

ˈstärt-liŋ,

-ᵊl-iŋ

1

: to move or jump suddenly (as in surprise or fright)

2

: to frighten suddenly and usually not seriously

the kitten startles easily

startle noun