From Middle English startlen, stertlen, stertyllen, from Old English steartlian, equivalent to start + -le.

• (British) IPA: /ˈstɑːt(ə)l/
• (America) IPA: /ˈstɑɹt(ə)l/

startle (startles, present participle startling; simple past and past participle startled)

1. (intransitive) To move suddenly, or be excited, on feeling alarm; to start.

   a horse that startles easily

   • 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC ↗, Act I, scene v, page 1 ↗:

     Why shrinks the soul / Back on herself, and startles at destruction?

   • 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “A Proposal of Marriage”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC ↗, page 127 ↗:

     He felt, too, that he was acting unjustly by Ethel: he had allowed a fortnight to elapse—he startled when he numbered up the days; it is strange how we allow them to glide imperceptibly away.

2. (transitive) To excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension; to frighten suddenly and not seriously; to alarm; to surprise.
   • 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC ↗:

     The supposition, at least, that angels do sometimes assume bodies need not startle us.

   • 1896, Joseph Conrad, chapter I, in An Outcast of the Islands, London: T. Fisher Unwin […], →OCLC ↗, part I, page 10 ↗:

     Nothing could startle her, make her scold or make her cry. She did not complain, she did not rebel.

3. (transitive, obsolete) To deter; to cause to deviate.
   • 1660, Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, The Life of Edward Earl of Clarendon, Lord High Chancellor of England:

     it would blast all their hopes, and startle all other princes from joining

• (to move suddenly) start
• (to excite suddenly) alarm, frighten, scare, surprise
• (deter) deter

• French: sursauter
• German: aufschrecken, scheuen
• Italian: scattare, sobbalzare
• Spanish: sobresaltarse, alarmarse, espantarse, sobresaltar

• French: surprendre
• German: erschrecken
• Italian: spaventare, sorprendere
• Portuguese: assustar, dar um susto
• Russian: пуга́ть

• Italian: schivare, evitare
• Spanish: evitar, impedir

startle (plural startles)

1. A sudden motion or shock caused by an unexpected alarm, surprise, or apprehension of danger.

• Russian: испуг
• Spanish: sobresalto