surprise
Noun · VerbOpen English WordNet
Verb (3)surprises, surprised, surprising
- cause to be surprised“The news really surprised me”More general affect, impressMore specific catch, amaze, shock, flabbergast, explode a bombshell
- come upon or take unawares“She surprised the couple”“He surprised an interesting scene”More general act, moveMore specific blindside
- attack by storm; attack suddenlySynonyms: stormMore general attack, assail
Noun (3)surprises
- the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to youType of astonishment, amazement
- a sudden unexpected eventType of change, alterationKinds shock, bombshell, peripeteia, coup de theatre, stunner, eye opener
- the act of surprising someoneSynonyms: surprisalType of disruption, perturbation
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Translations
Noun something not expected
- Spanish
- sorpresa
- French
- surprise
- German
- Überraschung
- Italian
- sorpresa
- Portuguese
- surpresa
- Turkish
- sürpriz
- Russian
- сюрпри́з sjurpríz
- Arabic
- مُفَاجَأَة mufājaʔa
- Chinese
- 意外 yìwài
- Japanese
- 驚き odoroki
24 more languages
- Dutch
- verrassing
- Polish
- niespodzianka
- Swedish
- överraskning
- Greek
- έκπληξη ékplixi
- Korean
- 놀라움 nollaum
- Indonesian
- kejutan
- Hungarian
- meglepetés
- Portuguese (PT)
- surpresa
- Chinese (Trad.)
- 驚奇 jīngqí
- Catalan
- sorpresa
- Czech
- překvapení
- Danish
- overraskelse
- Esperanto
- surprizo
- Estonian
- üllatus
- Finnish
- yllätys
- Hebrew
- הַפְתָּעָה haftaá
- Latvian
- pārsteigums
- Lithuanian
- siurprizas
- Romanian
- surprindere
- Scottish Gaelic
- iongnadh
- Serbo-Croatian
- iznenađenje
- Slovenian
- presenečenje
- Swahili
- mshangao
- Welsh
- syndod
Verb cause to feel surprise
- Spanish
- sorprender
- French
- surprendre
- Italian
- sorprendere
- Portuguese
- surpreender
- Russian
- удиви́ть udivítʹ
- Arabic
- فَاجَأَ fājaʔa
- Dutch
- verrassen
- Polish
- dziwić
- Swedish
- överraska
- Greek
- εκπλήσσω ekplísso
14 more languages
- Hungarian
- meglep
- Portuguese (PT)
- surpreender
- Albanian
- habit
- Catalan
- sorprendre
- Czech
- překvapit
- Danish
- overraske
- Esperanto
- surprizi
- Estonian
- üllatama
- Finnish
- yllättää
- Hebrew
- הפתיע hifti'a
- Norwegian
- overraske
- Romanian
- surprinde
- Slovenian
- presenetiti
- Welsh
- synnu
The main translation for each meaning, from the langtolang.com multilingual dictionary. Each word links to its full entry there.
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: F. surprise, fr. surprendre, surpris; sur over + prendre to take, L. prehendere. See Sur-, and Prehensile.
1. The act of coming upon, or taking, unawares; the act of seizing unexpectedly; surprisal; as, the fort was taken by surprise.
2. The state of being surprised, or taken unawares, by some act or event which could not reasonably be foreseen; emotion excited by what is sudden and strange; a suddenly excited feeling of wonder or astonishment.
Pure surprise and fear Made me to quit the house.— William Shakespeare
3. Anything that causes such a state or emotion.
4. A dish covered with a crust of raised paste, but with no other contents. obsolete William King
Surprise party, a party of persons who assemble by mutual agreement, and without invitation, at the house of a common friend. U.S. John Russell. Bartlett
Synonyms: Wonder; astonishment; amazement.
Origin: From Surprise, noun: cf. F. surprendre, p. p. surpris.
1. To come or fall suddenly and unexpectedly; to take unawares; to seize or capture by unexpected attack.
Fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites.— Isa. xxxiii. 14.
The castle of Macduff I will surprise.— William Shakespeare
Who can speak The mingled passions that surprised his heart?— James Thomson
2. To strike with wonder, astonishment, or confusion, by something sudden, unexpected, or remarkable; to confound; as, his conduct surprised me.
I am surprised with an uncouth fear.— William Shakespeare
Up he starts, Discovered and surprised.— John Milton
3. To lead (one) to do suddenly and without forethought; to bring (one) into some unexpected state; — with into; as, to be surprised into an indiscretion; to be surprised into generosity.
4. To hold possession of; to hold. obsolete
Not with me, That in my hands surprise the sovereignity.— John Webster
Synonyms: See Astonish.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54