surprise

1 of 2

noun

sur·​prise sər-ˈprīz 

sə-

variants or less commonly surprize

1

a

: an attack made without warning

b

: a taking unawares

2

: something that surprises

3

: the feeling caused by something unexpected or unusual

surprise

2 of 2

verb

variants or less commonly surprize

surprised also surprized; surprising also surprizing

transitive verb

1

: to attack unexpectedly

also : to capture by an unexpected attack

2

a

: to take unawares

Police surprised the burglars in the store.

b

: to detect or elicit by a taking unawares

… sometimes surprised a tragic shadow in her eyes.

—Willa Cather

3

: to strike with wonder or amazement especially because unexpected

His conduct surprised me.

intransitive verb

: to cause astonishment or surprise

Her success didn't surprise.

surpriser noun

Synonyms

Noun

• bombshell
• jar
• jaw-dropper
• jolt
• stunner

Verb

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

Choose the Right Synonym for surprise

surprise, astonish, astound, amaze, flabbergast mean to impress forcibly through unexpectedness.

surprise stresses causing an effect through being unexpected but not necessarily unusual or novel.

surprised to find them at home

astonish implies surprising so greatly as to seem incredible.

a discovery that astonished the world

astound stresses the shock of astonishment.

too astounded to respond

amaze suggests an effect of bewilderment.

amazed by the immense size of the place

flabbergast may suggest thorough astonishment and bewilderment or dismay.

flabbergasted by his angry refusal

Examples of surprise in a Sentence

Noun

What a pleasant surprise to see you!

It's no surprise that he doesn't want to go.

Is it any surprise that she should feel disappointed?

The teacher sprang a surprise on us and gave a pop quiz.

I have a special surprise for the children.

The trip was a surprise for her birthday.

Is the party a surprise?

Imagine our surprise when they sold their house and moved to the Bahamas.

He stared at her in surprise.

Verb

The results will surprise you.

Nothing you could say would surprise me.

They surprised everyone by moving to the Bahamas.

A police officer surprised the burglars.

The troops were surprised by an attack from the north.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Moreno had at least one bash: at a dinner in London with fellow theater stars Patrick Wilson, Audra McDonald, Daniel Dae Kim and Aaron Tveit, who were all across the pond to sing at The Rodgers & Hammerstein 80th Anniversary Concert, which featured Moreno as a surprise performer. —Eric Andersson, People.com, 11 Dec. 2024

This year, in a surprise move, Wilson returned for more tune-ups. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Dec. 2024

Verb

That may surprise some, given that winter temperatures in the northern part of the province can plummet to minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit. —Sofia Perez, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024

Animals bring a feel-good factor like little else, and no story captured that better than one in which a grieving grandma was surprised by a new golden retriever after losing her previous dog. —Terry Baddoo, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English suppryse exaction, seizure, from Anglo-French sousprise, supprise, from feminine of supris, surpris, suspris, past participle of surprendre & susprendre to capture, take by surprise, from sur- & sus-, suz under + prendre to take — more at prize, sous-chef

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1548, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing surprise

• be in for a (big/real) surprise
• catch (someone or something) by surprise
• catch unawares/unprepared/by surprise
• come as a (complete/total) surprise
• come as no surprise
• element of surprise
• much to someone's surprise
• October surprise
• spring a surprise
• surprise party
• surprise, surprise
• take (someone or something) by surprise

Kids Definition

surprise

1 of 2 noun

sur·​prise sə(r)-ˈprīz 

1

a

: an attack made without warning

b

: an act or an instance of coming upon someone suddenly

2

: something that surprises

3

: the state of being surprised : astonishment

surprise

2 of 2 verb

variants also surprize

surprised also surprized; surprising also surprizing

1

a

: to attack without warning

b

: to capture by an unexpected attack

2

: to come upon unexpectedly

3

: to fill with wonder or amazement because unexpected

surpriser noun

Legal Definition

surprise

noun

sur·​prise

1

: a condition or situation in which a party to a proceeding is unexpectedly placed without any fault or neglect of his or her own and that entitles the party to relief (as a new trial)

2

: an aspect of procedural unconscionability that consists of hiding a term of a contract in a mass of text

Geographical Definition

Surprise

geographical name

Sur·​prise sər-ˈprīz 

city in south central Arizona west of Phoenix population 117,517