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surprise

sur·prise
S s

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [ser-prahyz, suh-]
    • /sərˈpraɪz, sə-/
    • /səˈpraɪz/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [ser-prahyz, suh-]
    • /sərˈpraɪz, sə-/

Definitions of surprise word

  • verb with object surprise to strike or occur to with a sudden feeling of wonder or astonishment, as through unexpectedness: Her beauty surprised me. 1
  • verb with object surprise to come upon or discover suddenly and unexpectedly: We surprised the children raiding the cookie jar. 1
  • verb with object surprise to make an unexpected assault on (an unprepared army, fort, person, etc.). 1
  • verb with object surprise to elicit or bring out suddenly and without warning: to surprise the facts from the witness. 1
  • verb with object surprise to lead or bring unawares, as into doing something not intended: to surprise a witness into telling the truth. 1
  • noun surprise an act or instance of surprising or being surprised. 1

Information block about the term

Origin of surprise

First appearance:

before 1425
One of the 25% oldest English words
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

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Surprise

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

surprise popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 96% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

surprise usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for surprise

verb surprise

  • alarm — Alarm is a feeling of fear or anxiety that something unpleasant or dangerous might happen.
  • ambuscade — an ambush
  • ambush — If a group of people ambush their enemies, they attack them after hiding and waiting for them.
  • astound — If something astounds you, you are very surprised by it.
  • befog — to surround with fog

noun surprise

  • bafflement — Bafflement is the state of being baffled.
  • bewilderment — Bewilderment is the feeling of being bewildered.
  • blow out — If you blow out a flame or a candle, you blow at it so that it stops burning.
  • bombshell — A bombshell is a sudden piece of bad or unexpected news.
  • clambake — A clambake is a picnic at which clams and other food are served.

Antonyms for surprise

noun surprise

  • anticipation — Anticipation is a feeling of excitement about something pleasant or exciting that you know is going to happen.
  • foretaste — a slight and partial experience, knowledge, or taste of something to come in the future; anticipation.
  • high hopes — great expectations

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See also

Matching words

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