sur·prise
(sər-prīź)
[Middle English surprisen, to overcome, from Old French surprise feminine past participle of surprendre, to surprise, sur-, sur-, + prendre, to take (from Latin prehendere, prēndere, to seize; see ghend-).]
transitive verb: -prised, -pris·ing, -pris·es.
- To encounter suddenly or unexpectedly; take or catch unawares.
- To attack or capture suddenly and without warning.
- To cause to feel wonder, astonishment, or amazement, as at something unanticipated.
- To cause (someone) to do or say something unintended.
- To elicit or detect through surprise.
noun
- The act of surprising or the condition of being surprised.
- Something, such as an unexpected encounter, event, or gift, that surprises.
derivatives
- sur·priśer
- noun
- sur·priśing·ly
- adverb
synonyms:
surprise, astonish, amaze, astound, dumbfound, flabbergast These verbs mean to affect a person strongly as being unexpected or unusual. To surprise is to fill with often sudden wonder or disbelief as being unanticipated or out of the ordinary: “Never tell peopleto do things. Tell themto do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity” (George S. Patton) Astonish suggests overwhelming surprise: The sight of such an enormous crowd astonished us. Amaze implies astonishment and often bewilderment: The violinist's virtuosity has amazed audiences all over the world. Astound connotes shock, as from something unprecedented in one's experience: We were astounded at the beauty of the mountains. Dumbfound adds to astound the suggestion of perplexity and often speechlessness: His question dumbfounded me, and I could not respond. Flabbergast is used as a more colorful equivalent of astound, astonish, or amaze: “The aldermen … were … flabbergasted; they were speechless from bewilderment” (Benjamin Disraeli)
