English
surprise
Pronunciation
  • (RP) IPA: /səˈpɹaɪz/
  • (America) enPR: sərprīzʹ, IPA: /sɚˈpɹaɪz/
  • (America, r-dissimilation) enPR: səprīzʹ, IPA: /səˈpɹaɪz/
Noun

surprise

  1. Something unexpected.
    It was a surprise to find out I owed twice as much as I thought I did.
    • 2013, Daniel Taylor, Rickie Lambert’s debut goal gives England victory over Scotland (in The Guardian, 14 August 2013)
      They had begun brightly but the opening goal was such a blow to their confidence it almost came as a surprise when Walcott, running through the inside-right channel, beat the offside trap and, checking back on to his left foot, turned a low shot beyond Allan McGregor in the Scotland goal.
    • 2016, [https://web.archive.org/web/20171030003034/https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-lesson-8-are-you-busy/3253185.html VOA Learning English] (public domain)
      Surprise! - A party! Awesome!
  2. The feeling that something unexpected has happened.
    Imagine my surprise on learning I owed twice as much as I thought I did.
  3. (obsolete) A dish covered with a crust of raised pastry, but with no other contents.
Synonyms Translations Translations Translations Verb

surprise (surprises, present participle surprising; past and past participle surprised)

  1. (transitive) To cause (someone) to feel unusually alarmed or delighted by something unexpected.
    It surprises me that I owe twice as much as I thought I did.
  2. (transitive) To do something to (a person) that they are not expecting, as a surprise.
    He doesn’t know that I’m in the country – I thought I’d turn up at his house and surprise him.
  3. (intransitive) To undergo or witness something unexpected.
    He doesn’t surprise easily.
  4. (intransitive) To cause surprise.
  5. (transitive) To attack unexpectedly.
  6. (transitive) To take unawares.
Synonyms Translations Translations Translations

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