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
variants
or less commonly surprize
surprised also surprized; surprising also surprizing
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
Willa Cather3
: to strike with wonder or amazement especially because unexpected
His conduct surprised me.
: to cause astonishment or surprise
Her success didn't surprise.
surpriser
noun
Synonyms
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 WebAlthea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2024
David Eagle, who heads the Religion and Social Change Lab says another finding was also a surprise.
—Jason Derose, NPR, 23 Apr. 2024
Monday nights are far and away the most watched of The Daily Show’s week — no surprise given the residual goodwill for Stewart’s long run as host and the heavy promotion of his return.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Apr. 2024
Over 100 have been purchased in the past month, and that’s no surprise with the Derby just around the corner.
—Amanda McDonald, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2024
Don’t come here looking for high-end labels, but do come ready to sift through endless racks containing secondhand surprises.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2024
The 21 Best Cafés in Paris No surprise, this city is a specialty coffee (and pastry) capital.
—Paris Wilson, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Apr. 2024
After shocking the basketball world by making the NBA Finals as a No. 8 seed last season, the short-handed Miami Heat didn’t deliver any surprises in its first playoff game this season.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2024
Suppan also could hit and was a surprise contributor at the plate in the majors.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024
How Modern Footwear Supports, and Changes, the Foot Nothing surprised me more on that first barefoot run than realizing that, without traditional running shoes, my feet were essentially piles of mush at the end of my legs.
—Laura Lancaster, Outdoor Life, 11 Apr. 2024
The following five unique Masters elements might surprise you.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The federal government might investigate For patients surprised by out-of-network charges on their medical bills, Amin recommends filing a complaint with the No Surprises Help Desk.
—Elizabeth B. Kim, The Enquirer, 10 Apr. 2024
One of the key factors in achieving this monumental feat may surprise you: the optimization of the sapphire crystal.
—Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2024
Trending on Billboard The fact that this will be Anitta’s first bona fide tour outside Brazil may surprise fans, as the singer seems to be everywhere all at once.
—Leila Cobo, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2024
That’s as good of a description as any for engagement with art, having an aesthetic experience, being open to surprise and having things happen.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2024
And while some of their advice might seem obvious, the rest might surprise you.
—Maria Godoy, NPR, 6 Apr. 2024
Noun
The set is billed to include career-spanning hits along with some surprises.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2024
David Eagle, who heads the Religion and Social Change Lab says another finding was also a surprise.
—Jason Derose, NPR, 23 Apr. 2024
Monday nights are far and away the most watched of The Daily Show’s week — no surprise given the residual goodwill for Stewart’s long run as host and the heavy promotion of his return.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Apr. 2024
Over 100 have been purchased in the past month, and that’s no surprise with the Derby just around the corner.
—Amanda McDonald, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2024
Don’t come here looking for high-end labels, but do come ready to sift through endless racks containing secondhand surprises.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2024
The 21 Best Cafés in Paris No surprise, this city is a specialty coffee (and pastry) capital.
—Paris Wilson, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Apr. 2024
After shocking the basketball world by making the NBA Finals as a No. 8 seed last season, the short-handed Miami Heat didn’t deliver any surprises in its first playoff game this season.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2024
Suppan also could hit and was a surprise contributor at the plate in the majors.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Verb
To be sure, some people face higher audit risks than others, and one of them might surprise you.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024
How Modern Footwear Supports, and Changes, the Foot Nothing surprised me more on that first barefoot run than realizing that, without traditional running shoes, my feet were essentially piles of mush at the end of my legs.
—Laura Lancaster, Outdoor Life, 11 Apr. 2024
The following five unique Masters elements might surprise you.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The federal government might investigate For patients surprised by out-of-network charges on their medical bills, Amin recommends filing a complaint with the No Surprises Help Desk.
—Elizabeth B. Kim, The Enquirer, 10 Apr. 2024
One of the key factors in achieving this monumental feat may surprise you: the optimization of the sapphire crystal.
—Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2024
Trending on Billboard The fact that this will be Anitta’s first bona fide tour outside Brazil may surprise fans, as the singer seems to be everywhere all at once.
—Leila Cobo, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2024
That’s as good of a description as any for engagement with art, having an aesthetic experience, being open to surprise and having things happen.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2024
And while some of their advice might seem obvious, the rest might surprise you.
—Maria Godoy, NPR, 6 Apr. 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.
Articles Related to surprise
Dictionary Entries Near surprise
Cite this Entry
“Surprise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surprise. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
surprise
1 of 2 noun
sur·prise
sə(r)-ˈprīz 
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
Geographical Definition
Surprise
geographical name
Sur·prise
sər-ˈprīz
city in south central Arizona west of Phoenix population 117,517
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