SURPRISE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does surprise mean? 

• SURPRISE (noun)
  The noun SURPRISE has 3 senses:

1. the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you

2. a sudden unexpected event

3. the act of surprising someone

  Familiarity information: SURPRISE used as a noun is uncommon.

• SURPRISE (verb)
  The verb SURPRISE has 3 senses:

1. cause to be surprised

2. come upon or take unawares

3. attack by storm; attack suddenly

  Familiarity information: SURPRISE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SURPRISE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Hypernyms ("surprise" is a kind of...):

amazement; astonishment (the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising)

Derivation:

surprise (cause to be surprised)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A sudden unexpected event

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("surprise" is a kind of...):

alteration; change; modification (an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "surprise"):

bombshell; thunderbolt; thunderclap (a shocking surprise)

coup de theatre (a dramatic surprise)

eye opener (something surprising and revealing)

peripeteia; peripetia; peripety (a sudden and unexpected change of fortune or reverse of circumstances (especially in a literary work))

blow; shock (an unpleasant or disappointing surprise)

stunner (an unexpected and amazing event)

Derivation:

surprise (cause to be surprised)

surprise (attack by storm; attack suddenly)

surprise (come upon or take unawares)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The act of surprising someone

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

surprisal; surprise

Hypernyms ("surprise" is a kind of...):

disruption; perturbation (the act of causing disorder)

Derivation:

surprise (cause to be surprised)

surprise (come upon or take unawares)

• SURPRISE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they surprise    ... he / she / it surprises   
Past simple: surprised   
Past participle: surprised   
-ing form: surprising   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cause to be surprised

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Context example:

The news really surprised me

Hypernyms (to "surprise" is one way to...):

affect; impress; move; strike (have an emotional or cognitive impact upon)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "surprise"):

amaze; astonish; astound (affect with wonder)

explode a bombshell (utter or do something surprising)

catch (discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state)

boggle; bowl over; flabbergast (overcome with amazement)

ball over; blow out of the water; floor; shock; take aback (surprise greatly; knock someone's socks off)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sentence examples:

The bad news will surprise him
The good news will surprise her

Derivation:

surprisal; surprise (the act of surprising someone)

surprise (a sudden unexpected event)

surprise (the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Come upon or take unawares

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Context example:

He surprised an interesting scene

Hypernyms (to "surprise" is one way to...):

act; move (perform an action, or work out or perform (an action))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "surprise"):

blindside (catch unawares, especially with harmful consequences)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

Sam cannot surprise Sue

Derivation:

surprisal; surprise (the act of surprising someone)

surprise (a sudden unexpected event)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Attack by storm; attack suddenly

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Synonyms:

storm; surprise

Hypernyms (to "surprise" is one way to...):

assail; attack (launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

surprise (a sudden unexpected event)

surpriser (a captor who uses surprise to capture the victim)

 Context examples 

To my intense surprise, there was no one with him.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Then a most surprising thing occurred.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

It might be, lying thus, that he hoped to surprise this call he could not understand.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

But she would not express either surprise or regret over the fate of Oldacre.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

More than once I have surprised her in tears.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I am glad. Now that they have found that for which they look, we will have rest. But the woman says, 'Let us start. Hurry!' I am surprised.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

“We must take them by surprise.”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

I leaned my head round it in order to see what was beyond, and I nearly fell out of the tree in my surprise and horror at what I saw.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Let Marmee think we are getting things for ourselves, and then surprise her.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

"What do you want?" she inquired, in a voice of surprise, as she surveyed me by the light of the candle she held.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)