surprise

[ser-prahyz, suh-] /sərˈpraɪz, sə-/
verb (used with object), surprised, surprising.
1.
to strike or occur to with a sudden feeling of wonder or astonishment, as through unexpectedness:
Her beauty surprised me.
2.
to come upon or discover suddenly and unexpectedly:
We surprised the children raiding the cookie jar.
3.
to make an unexpected assault on (an unprepared army, fort, person, etc.).
4.
to elicit or bring out suddenly and without warning:
to surprise the facts from the witness.
5.
to lead or bring unawares, as into doing something not intended:
to surprise a witness into telling the truth.
noun
6.
an act or instance of surprising or being surprised.
7.
something that surprises someone; a completely unexpected occurrence, appearance, or statement:
His announcement was a surprise to all.
8.
an assault, as on an army or a fort, made without warning.
9.
a coming upon unexpectedly; detecting in the act; taking unawares.
Idioms
10.
take by surprise,
  1. to come upon unawares.
  2. to astonish; amaze:
    The amount of the donation took us completely by surprise.
Origin
1425-75; (noun) late Middle English < Anglo-French surpris(e), Middle French, past participle of surprendre, equivalent to sur- sur-1 + pris (masculine), prise (feminine) < Latin prēnsus, -sa, equivalent to prēnd(ere), contracted variant of prehendere to take (see prehension) + -tus, -ta past participle suffix; (v.) late Middle English surprisen < Anglo-French surpris(e) (past participle), Middle French, as above
Related forms
surprisedly
[ser-prahy-zid-lee, -prahyzd-, suh-] /sərˈpraɪ zɪd li, -ˈpraɪzd-, sə-/ (Show IPA), adverb
surpriser, noun
supersurprise, noun
unsurprised, adjective
Synonyms
1. Surprise, astonish, amaze, astound mean to strike with wonder because of unexpectedness, strangeness, unusualness, etc. To surprise is to take unawares or to affect with wonder: surprised at receiving a telegram. To astonish is to strike with wonder by something unlooked for, startling, or seemingly inexplicable: astonished at someone's behavior. To amaze is to astonish so greatly as to disconcert or bewilder: amazed at such an evidence of stupidity. To astound is to so overwhelm with surprise that one is unable to think or act: astounded by the news.
Examples from the web for surprise
  • Maybe for lots of people this is not something they've thought about, and it's going to catch them by surprise.
  • The main flavoring ingredient will come as a delightful surprise and remind the recipients of summer.
  • Recently a group of researchers got a surprise when a half ton great white shark decided to hop in their boat with them.
  • And a bigger surprise: almost half of these inmates have gang ties.
  • Rattlers and other snakes prey on ground squirrels largely through surprise attacks on pups.
  • Despite the surprise, the connection makes sense, the researchers say.
  • But when archaeologists lifted a gold bowl covering the mummy's face, they found the biggest surprise yet.
  • Excess weight can harm health in ways that may come as a surprise.
  • Each new discovery seems to yield more surprise and mystery.
  • Since then, there has been--surprise--no formal publication, but the buzz of speculation continues.
British Dictionary definitions for surprise

surprise

/səˈpraɪz/
verb (transitive)
1.
to cause to feel amazement or wonder
2.
to encounter or discover unexpectedly or suddenly
3.
to capture or assault suddenly and without warning
4.
to present with something unexpected, such as a gift
5.
(foll by into) to provoke (someone) to unintended action by a trick, etc: to surprise a person into an indiscretion
6.
(often foll by from) to elicit by unexpected behaviour or by a trick: to surprise information from a prisoner
noun
7.
the act or an instance of surprising; the act of taking unawares
8.
a sudden or unexpected event, gift, etc
9.
the feeling or condition of being surprised; astonishment
10.
(modifier) causing, characterized by, or relying upon surprise: a surprise move
11.
take by surprise
  1. to come upon suddenly and without warning
  2. to capture unexpectedly or catch unprepared
  3. to astonish; amaze
Derived Forms
surprisal, noun
surprised, adjective
surprisedly (səˈpraɪzɪdlɪ) adverb
surpriser, noun
Word Origin
C15: from Old French, from surprendre to overtake, from sur-1 + prendre from Latin prehendere to grasp; see prehensile
Word Origin and History for surprise
n.

late 14c., "unexpected attack or capture," from Middle French surprise "a taking unawares," from noun use of past participle of Old French surprendre "to overtake," from sur- "over" (see sur-) + prendre "to take," from Latin prendere, contracted from prehendere "to grasp, seize" (see prehensile). Meaning "something unexpected" first recorded 1590s, that of "feeling caused by something unexpected" is c.1600. Meaning "fancy dish" is attested from 1708.

A Surprize is ... a dish ... which promising little from its first appearance, when open abounds with all sorts of variety. [W. King, "Cookery," 1708]
Surprise party originally was a military detachment (1841); festive sense is attested from 1858.

v.

late 14c., from Anglo-French surprise, fem. past participle of surprendre (see surprise (n.)). Related: Surprised; surprising.

Slang definitions & phrases for surprise

surprise

interjection

An exclamation of feigned astonishment over something perfectly obvious or predictable: A study conducted by university researchers a year ago found that the Family Support Act was failing to change the welfare culture. Surprise/ There were two favorite spots for tots. Surprise surprise. The boys loved the little bosom rose (1953+)


Idioms and Phrases with surprise

surprise

see: take by surprise