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surprise

surprise

1.0
A sudden feeling of wonder when something is unexpected
  • noun
  • /sərˈpraɪz/
translation icon : sorpresa
  • The man turned and ran, a look of surprise and fear on his face.
  • come as a surprise
  • taken by surprise
  • pleasant surprise

It was, it was a great surprise, a huge honor.

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Examples

  • And to his surprise, the patient said sure.

  • You're gonna get a big surprise.

  • And for many people, it comes as a surprise in the West.

  • Well, it's a sweet surprise, all the same.

  • It's a surprise to see him in the daytime.

  • The media has expressed much surprise about the large increase in young voters.

    Academic text (2012)
  • But Josh and I, to my surprise and delight, stay close.

  • Frankly, yes, much to my surprise.

  • It was, it was a great surprise, a huge honor.

  • When she opened the door, she was met with an unexpected surprise that left her speechless.

Synonyms

shock
vssurprise
567 2.3

A sudden strong feeling of surprise and distress after an unexpected event

is sudden wonder without the added distress or disbelief
amazement
vssurprise
56 1.2

A very strong feeling of surprise and wonder

is a sudden wonder that may be less focused on intensity
astonishment
vssurprise
33 3.4

A very strong feeling of surprise and wonder

is similar but denotes sudden wonder with less extreme intensity
wonderment
vssurprise
10 5.8

A feeling of surprise and admiration when you see something beautiful or strange

focuses on sudden wonder caused by the unexpected rather than admiration
surprisal
vssurprise
8.4

A sudden feeling when something happens that you did not expect

is a sudden feeling of wonder rather than the causing event

Idioms

Words people say when they are surprised to see something

Compounds

22 3.8

A sudden unexpected thing that catches people off guard

A sudden action that begins without warning to catch people not ready

A short sharp sound someone makes to show surprise

An unexpected pleasant gift or event that feels like a small box of chocolates

A secret party people plan so the birthday person does not know

How Surprised

shock
567 2.3
astonishment
33 3.4
amazement
56 1.2
surprise
1.0
wonder
254 1.0

Surface Forms

surprise singular
surprises plural

Etymology

Surprise comes from an old French word surprendre, where sur- means 'over' and prendre means 'to take'. That's why a surprise is the sudden feeling of being 'taken' or caught off guard when something unexpected happens.