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
Philip Freeman, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2024
This fact surprises many scientists, Rojas says, because Latin American countries, on average, are much poorer and have more inequality and violence than European countries.
—Michaeleen Doucleff, NPR, 24 Apr. 2024
On April 1st, California’s brand new $20-an-hour minimum wage for fast food workers took effect, and surprise surprise fast food chains are jacking up their menu prices across the board.
—John Phillips, Orange County Register, 23 Apr. 2024
What was originally slated to be a standard 16-track album turned into a 31-song anthology when Swift surprised fans just hours after release with an additional second half of the project.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 22 Apr. 2024
Fans were surprised by Hart taking on the role in the TV movie.
—Brian Anthony Hernandez, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2024
Kevin Abstract, the Brockhampton founding member and solo artist, surprised fans during his solo set at Coachella Weekend Two on Saturday with an appearance from Lil Nas X.
—Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2024
The fact that 40 percent of the respondents opted to save their pet does not surprise me.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
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
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
Southern hospitality Having driven past the restaurant a handful of times, the size and diversity of the crowd surprised me on my first visit.
—Philip Freeman, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2024
This fact surprises many scientists, Rojas says, because Latin American countries, on average, are much poorer and have more inequality and violence than European countries.
—Michaeleen Doucleff, NPR, 24 Apr. 2024
On April 1st, California’s brand new $20-an-hour minimum wage for fast food workers took effect, and surprise surprise fast food chains are jacking up their menu prices across the board.
—John Phillips, Orange County Register, 23 Apr. 2024
What was originally slated to be a standard 16-track album turned into a 31-song anthology when Swift surprised fans just hours after release with an additional second half of the project.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 22 Apr. 2024
Fans were surprised by Hart taking on the role in the TV movie.
—Brian Anthony Hernandez, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2024
Kevin Abstract, the Brockhampton founding member and solo artist, surprised fans during his solo set at Coachella Weekend Two on Saturday with an appearance from Lil Nas X.
—Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2024
The fact that 40 percent of the respondents opted to save their pet does not surprise me.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
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
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 27 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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