Surprise

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: sur=prise

CIDE DICTIONARY

Surprise, n. [F. surprise, fr. surprendre, surpris; sur over + prendre to take, L. prehendere. See Sur-, and Prehensile.].

•  The act of coming upon, or taking, unawares; the act of seizing unexpectedly; surprisal; as, the fort was taken by surprise.  [1913 Webster]
•  The state of being surprised, or taken unawares, by some act or event which could not reasonably be foreseen; emotion excited by what is sudden and strange; a suddenly excited feeling of wonder or astonishment.  [1913 Webster]

  "Pure surprise and fear
  Made me to quit the house."  [1913 Webster]
•  Anything that causes such a state or emotion.  [1913 Webster]
•  A dish covered with a crust of raised paste, but with no other contents.  King.  [1913 Webster]

Surprise party, a party of persons who assemble by mutual agreement, and without invitation, at the house of a common friend. [U.S.] Bartlett.

Syn. -- Wonder; astonishment; amazement.

Surprise, v. t. [From Surprise, n.: cf. F. surprendre, p. p. surpris.].

•  To come or fall suddenly and unexpectedly; to take unawares; to seize or capture by unexpected attack.  [1913 Webster]

  "Fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites."  [1913 Webster]

  "The castle of Macduff I will surprise."  [1913 Webster]

  "Who can speak
  The mingled passions that surprised his heart?"  [1913 Webster]
•  To strike with wonder, astonishment, or confusion, by something sudden, unexpected, or remarkable; to confound; as, his conduct surprised me.  [1913 Webster]

  "I am surprised with an uncouth fear."  [1913 Webster]

  "Up he starts,
  Discovered and surprised."  [1913 Webster]
•  To lead (one) to do suddenly and without forethought; to bring (one) into some unexpected state; -- with into; as, to be surprised into an indiscretion; to be surprised into generosity.  [1913 Webster]
•  To hold possession of; to hold.  [1913 Webster]

  "Not with me,
  That in my hands surprise the sovereignity."  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- See Astonish.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Surprise, n. & v.
--n.
1 an unexpected or astonishing event or circumstance.
2 the emotion caused by this.
3 the act of catching a person etc. unawares, or the process of being caught unawares.
4 (attrib.) unexpected; made or done etc. without warning (a surprise visit).
--v.tr.
1 affect with surprise; turn out contrary to the expectations of (your answer surprised me; I surprised her by arriving early).
2 (usu. in passive; foll. by at) shock, scandalize (I am surprised at you).
3 capture or attack by surprise.
4 come upon (a person) unawares (surprised him taking a biscuit).
5 (foll. by into) startle (a person) by surprise into an action etc. (surprised them into consenting).

Idiom

take by surprise affect with surprise, esp. by an unexpected encounter or statement.

Derivative

surprisedly adv. surprising adj. surprisingly adv. surprisingness n.

Etymology

OF, fem. past part. of surprendre (as SUR-(1), prendre f. L praehendere seize)

THESAURUS

Surprise

admiration, amaze, amazement, ambush, assail, assault, astonish, astonishment, astound, astoundment, attack, awe, awestrike, bedaze, bedazzle, beguilement, bewilder, bewilderment, blitz, blockbuster, blow, boggle, bomb, bombshell, bowl down, bowl over, breathless wonder, bushwhack, capture, catch, catch off-guard, catch unawares, come at, come down on, come from behind, come upon unexpectedly, confound, crack down on, daze, dazzle, descend on, descend upon, discomfit, disconcert, discover, dismay, do the unexpected, drop in on, dumbfound, dumbfounder, dumbfoundment, earthshaker, eye-opener, fall on, fall upon, fascination, faze, flabbergast, floor, gang up on, go at, go for, grab, grasp, harry, have at, hit, hit like lightning, incredulity, joker, jolt, jump, kicker, land on, lay at, lay for, lay hands on, lay into, light into, marvel, marveling, mug, nonplus, overwhelm, paralyze, peripeteia, perplex, petrify, pitch into, pounce upon, pound, pull up short, puzzlement, rattle, revelation, rock, sail into, seize, sense of mystery, sense of wonder, set on, set upon, shock, shocker, sneak attack, spring a surprise, spring upon, stagger, staggerer, startle, startler, strike, strike dead, strike dumb, strike with wonder, stun, stupefaction, stupefy, surprisal, surprise attack, surprise ending, surprise package, surprise party, swan, switch, swoop down on, take, take aback, take by surprise, take short, take the offensive, take unawares, thunderbolt, thunderclap, wade into, waylay, wonder, wonderment

ROGET THESAURUS

Surprise

Cunning

VB be cunning, have cut one's eyeteeth, contrive, live by one's wits, maneuver, intrigue, gerrymander, finesse, double, temporize, stoop to conquer, reculer pour mieux sauter, circumvent, steal a march upon, overreach, throw off one's guard, surprise, snatch a verdict, waylay, undermine, introduce the thin end of the wedge, play a deep game, play tricks with, ambiguas in vulgum spargere voces, flatter, make things pleasant, have an ax to grind, dodge, sidestep, bob and weave.

Wonder

N wonder, marvel, astonishment, amazement, wonderment, bewilderment, amazedness, admiration, awe, stupor, stupefaction, stound, fascination, sensation, surprise, note of admiration, thaumaturgy, surprised, aghast, all agog, breathless, agape, open- mouthed, awestruck, thunderstruck, moonstruck, planet-struck, spellbound, lost in amazement, lost in wonder, lost in astonishment, struck all of a heap, unable to believe one's senses, like a duck ion thunder, wonderful, wondrous, surprising, unexpected, unheard of, mysterious, miraculous, indescribable, inexpressible, inaffable, unutterable, unspeakable, monstrous, prodigious, stupendous, marvelous, inconceivable, incredible, inimaginable, unimaginable, strange, passing strange, striking, overwhelming, wonder-working, wonderfully fearfully, for a wonder, in the name of wonder, strange to say, mirabile dictu, mirabile visu, to one's great surprise, with wonder, with gaping mouth, with open eyes, with upturned eyes, Int, lo, lo and behold!, O!, heyday!, halloo!, what!, indeed!, really!, surely!, humph!, hem!, good lack, good heavens, good gracious!, Ye gods!, good Lord!, good grief!, Holy cow!, My word!, Holy shit!, gad so!, welladay!, dear me!, only think!, lackadaisy!, my stars, my goodness!, gracious goodness!, goodness gracious!, mercy on us!, heavens and earth!, God bless me!, bless us, bless my heart!, odzookens!, O gemini!, adzooks!, hoity-toity!, strong!, Heaven save the mark, bless the mark!, can such things be!, zounds!, 'sdeath!, what on earth, what in the world!, who would have thought it!, you don't say so!, You're kidding!, No kidding? what do you say to that!, nous verrons!, how now!, where am I?, vox faucibus haesit, one's hair standing on end.

VB wonder, marvel, admire, be surprised, start, stare, open one's eyes, rub one's eyes, turn up one's eyes, gloar, gape, open one's mouth, hold one's breath, look aghast, stand aghast, stand agog, look blank, tombe des nues, not believe one's eyes, not believe one's ears, not believe one's senses, not be able to account for, not know whether one stands on one's head or one's, surprise, astonish, amaze, astound, dumfound, dumfounder, startle, dazzle, daze, strike, strike with wonder, strike with awe, electrify, stun, stupefy, petrify, confound, bewilder, flabbergast, stagger, throw on one's beam ends, fascinate, turn the head, take away one's breath, strike dumb, make one's hair stand on end, make one's tongue cleave to the roof of one's mout, make one stare, take by surprise, be wonderful, beggar description, beggar the imagination, baffle description, stagger belief.

Inexpectation

N inexpectation, non-expectation, false expectation, miscalculation, surprise, sudden burst, thunderclap, blow, shock, start, bolt out of the blue, wonder, eye opener, unpleasant surprise, pleasant surprise, nonexpectant, surprised, unwarned, unaware, off one's guard, inattentive, unexpected, unanticipated, unpredicted, unlooked for, unforeseen, unhoped for, dropped from the clouds, beyond expectation, contrary to expectation, against expectation, against all expectation, out of one's reckoning, unheard of, startling, surprising, sudden, unpredictable, unforeseeable (unknowable), abruptly, unexpectedly, surprisingly, plump, pop, a l'improviste, unawares, without notice, without warning, without a 'by your leave', like a thief in the night, like a thunderbolt, in an unguarded moment, suddenly, Int, heydey!, little did one think, little did one expect, nobody would ever suppose, nobody would ever think, nobody would ever expect, who would have thought? it beats the Dutch.

VB not expect, be taken by surprise, start, miscalculate, not bargain for, come upon, fall upon, be unexpected, come unawares, turn up, pop, drop from the clouds, come upon one, burst upon one, flash upon one, bounce upon one, steal upon one, creep upon one, come like a thunder clap, burst like a thunderclap, thunder bolt, take by surprise, catch by surprise, catch unawares, catch napping, yach, pounce upon, spring a mine upon, surprise, startle, take aback, electrify, stun, stagger, take away one's breath, throw off one's guard, astonish, dumbfound.