Definition of SURPRISE
- ️Tue Feb 18 2025
1
a
: an attack made without warning
3
: the feeling caused by something unexpected or unusual
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.
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for surprise
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.
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noting that there are a lot of twists and turns in this film, Emerson suggests that audience members might think the final surprise is who is elected to be the next pope.
—Carolyn Giardina, Variety, 15 Feb. 2025
Was that a surprise to the Tigers, who stepped up to meet Bregman’s desire for a long-term commitment?
—Cody Stavenhagen, The Athletic, 15 Feb. 2025
The final scene of the final episode of Cobra Kai is a pitch-perfect callback to a scene in the original 1984 Karate Kid movie where Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) surprises Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) by catching a fly with his chopsticks.
—Breanne L. Heldman, People.com, 15 Feb. 2025
In the end, Torres’ exhaustive devotion to detail proved effective in ways that surprised even her.
—Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for surprise 
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
Time Traveler
The first known use of surprise was in the 15th century
Cite this Entry
“Surprise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surprise. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 18 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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