surprise (səˈpraɪz
)
Definitions
verb (tr)
- to cause to feel amazement or wonder
- to encounter or discover unexpectedly or suddenly
- to capture or assault suddenly and without warning
- to present with something unexpected, such as a gift
- (foll by into) to provoke (someone) to unintended action by a trick, etc ⇒
to surprise a person into an indiscretion
- (often foll by from) to elicit by unexpected behaviour or by a trick ⇒
to surprise information from a prisoner
noun
- the act or an instance of surprising; the act of taking unawares
- a sudden or unexpected event, gift, etc
- the feeling or condition of being surprised; astonishment
- (modifier) causing, characterized by, or relying upon surprise ⇒
a surprise move
- See take by surprise
Alternative Forms
surˈprisal noun surˈprised adjective surprisedly (səˈpraɪzɪdlɪ) adverb surˈpriser noun Word Origin
C15: from Old French, from surprendre to overtake, from sur-C15: from Old French, from to overtake, from 1 + from Latin to grasp; see + prendre from Latin prehendere to grasp; see prehensileSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
amaze,
astonish,
astound,
stun,
startle,
stagger,
disconcert,
take aback,
bowl over,
leave open-mouthed
nonplus,
flabbergast,
take (someone's) breath away
= catch unawares or off-guard catch napping catch on the hop
burst in on,
spring upon catch in the act or red-handed come down on like a bolt from the blue
Quotations
"Surprises are foolish things. The pleasure is not enhanced, and the inconvenience is often considerable"
Translations
- British English:
surprise
A surprise is an unexpected event, fact, or piece of news.I have a surprise for you: We are moving to Switzerland!səˈpraɪz NOUN I have a surprise for you: We are moving to Switzerland!
- Spanish:
sorpresa
nf
- French:
surprise
nf
- German:
Überraschung
nf
- Chinese: 惊喜 n
- Arabic: مُفَاجَأَة n
- Portuguese: surpresa nf
- Russian: удивление nnt
- Croatian: iznenađenje nnt
- Czech: překvapení nnt
- Danish: overraskelse nutr
- Dutch: verrassing nf
- Finnish: yllätys n
- Greek: έκπληξη nf
- Italian: sopresa nf
- Japanese: 驚き n
- Korean: 놀람 n
- Norwegian: overraskelse nm
- Polish: niespodzianka nf
- Brazilian Portuguese: surpresa nf
- European Spanish:
sorpresa
nf
- Swedish: överraskning nutr
- Thai: ความประหลาดใจ n
- Turkish: sürpriz n
- Vietnamese: sự ngạc nhiên n
Usage examples
The man sitting next to him was a stranger but not a surprise ; a translator, Marshall assumed.
, CHAMELEON (2002)Good bat that young'un, although no great surprise , mind, given what school he went to.
Country Life (2005)But their defeat to Queen's by a length at the quarter-final stage was a surprise.
Irish Times (2002)Price, who played alongside Cabrera for three rounds in Germany last week, expressed no great surprise at the Argentine's effort.
Glasgow Herald (2001)You can try to surprise yourself, in the way that some of the scenes you encounter in the Otherworld will surprise you.
, A WITCH ALONE (2002)