Meaning

Something unexpected..

Definitions by Sense

1. Something unexpected.
2. The feeling that something unexpected has happened.
3. (transitive) To cause (someone) to feel unusually alarmed or delighted by something unexpected.
4. (transitive) To do something to (a person) that they are not expecting, as a surprise.
5. (intransitive) To undergo or witness something unexpected.
6. (intransitive) To cause surprise.
7. (transitive) To attack unexpectedly.
8. (transitive) To take unawares.

Example Sentences

It was a surprise to find out I owed twice as much as I thought.

It came as a surprise when he succeed.

Surprise! - A party! Awesome!

England were graphically illustrating the huge gulf in class between the sides and it was no surprise when Lampard added the second just before the half hour. Steven Gerrard found his Liverpool team-mate Glen Johnson and Lampard arrived in the area with perfect timing to glide a header beyond Namasco.

They had begun brightly but the opening goal was such a blow to their confidence it almost came as a surprise when Walcott, running through the inside-right channel, beat the offside trap and, checking back on to his left foot, turned a low shot beyond Allan McGregor in the Scotland goal.

She bought the model as a surprise gift for a friend who is a lifelong HST fan and railwayman, and who will soon be celebrating a milestone birthday.

Imagine my surprise on learning I owed twice as much as I thought I did.

The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen.[…]The second note, the high alarum, not so familiar and always important since it indicates the paramount sin in Man’s private calendar, took most of them by surprise although they had been well prepared.

Word Forms

• surprises
• surprize
• suprise
• surprising
• surprised

Synonyms for surprise

Antonyms for surprise

Related Words

When Should You Use Surprise?

Use surprise when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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