surprise

1 of 2

noun

sur·​prise sər-ˈprīz How to pronounce surprise (audio)
sə-
variants or less commonly surprize
1
a
: an attack made without warning
b
: a taking unawares
2
: something that surprises
3
: the feeling caused by something unexpected or unusual

surprise

2 of 2

verb

variants or less commonly surprize
surprised also surprized; surprising also surprizing

transitive verb

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.

intransitive verb

: to cause astonishment or surprise
Her success didn't surprise.
surpriser noun
Choose the Right Synonym for surprise

surprise, astonish, astound, amaze, flabbergast mean to impress forcibly through unexpectedness.

surprise stresses causing an effect through being unexpected but not necessarily unusual or novel.

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.

too astounded to respond

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
Noun
Her split from the prime minister—communicated via Instagram in August—had been a surprise, not least to those who had once judged the Trudeaus #CouplesGoals. Mattie Kahn, Vogue, 18 Mar. 2024 In the abstract painters Marina Adams and Stanley Whitney’s Bridgehampton, N.Y., home, on the other hand, the rooms are spare, with a limited color palette; a surprise, perhaps, given their own ecstatically colorful works. Hanya Yanagihara, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024 In the City Section, Birmingham is a surprise having started West Valley League action with wins over Granada Hills and El Camino Real, considered the two toughest opponents. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2024 The Grammy winner told Entertainment Tonight on Saturday that his wedding to Jennifer Goicoechea also took his family by surprise. Kimberly Nordyke, Billboard, 18 Mar. 2024 Angel Studios is also home to Monteverde’s 2023 surprise blockbuster and cultural sensation Sound of Freedom. Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Mar. 2024 But one possible solution to decrease noise pollution may come as a surprise: introducing more park space in urban environments. The Courier-Journal, 16 Mar. 2024 The surprise project debuted with both an Instagram account and a website of its own. Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 Then Willis, in a surprise move, strode into the courtroom and sat down in the witness box. Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024
Verb
Usher surprised fans when he got married last month. Kimberly Nordyke, Billboard, 18 Mar. 2024 Those who know Raymond, like former NBA player Lance Thomas, whose boat Raymond was on when the accident occurred, aren’t surprised by what he’s created. Johnny Dodd, Peoplemag, 16 Mar. 2024 This team needs someone who can surprise the fan base not locked into Cactus League baseball. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024 Trump surprised some by coming out against the TikTok bill last week, despite his own previous efforts during his time in office to ban the app. Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 15 Mar. 2024 Last week, the country artist surprised Church Choir members by giving each one a deed to a brick at Chief's. Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2024 Trump surprised everyone by opposing the House bill. Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2024 That last aspect shouldn’t surprise anyone who saw Glass’s debut feature film, Saint Maud, which plunged the viewer into the mind of a home nurse plagued by biblical visions of angels and demons. David Sims, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024 What had surprised him, though, was how long the museum took to do something about the mural. Alex Marshall, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'surprise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of surprise was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near surprise

Cite this Entry

“Surprise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surprise. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

surprise

1 of 2 noun
sur·​prise sə(r)-ˈprīz How to pronounce surprise (audio)
1
a
: an attack made without warning
b
: an act or an instance of coming upon someone suddenly
2
: something that surprises
3
: the state of being surprised : astonishment

surprise

2 of 2 verb
variants also surprize
surprised also surprized; surprising also surprizing
1
a
: to attack without warning
b
: to capture by an unexpected attack
2
: to come upon unexpectedly
3
: to fill with wonder or amazement because unexpected
surpriser noun

Legal Definition

surprise

noun
sur·​prise
1
: a condition or situation in which a party to a proceeding is unexpectedly placed without any fault or neglect of his or her own and that entitles the party to relief (as a new trial)
2
: an aspect of procedural unconscionability that consists of hiding a term of a contract in a mass of text

Geographical Definition

Surprise

geographical name

Sur·​prise sər-ˈprīz How to pronounce Surprise (audio)
city in south central Arizona west of Phoenix population 117,517

More from Merriam-Webster on surprise

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