spring a surprise
idiom
: to do, ask, or say something that is not expected
Everyone knows she's not likely to spring a surprise.
The teacher sprang a surprise on us and gave a quiz.
Examples of spring a surprise in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Now, Foals can spring a surprise of their own by beating Drake to the U.K. chart title.
—
Lars Brandle, Billboard, 21 June 2022
Even at 96, the Queen can still spring a surprise.
—Max Foster and Rob Picheta, CNN, 10 June 2022
Can the upstart Memphis Grizzlies spring a surprise?
—USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2022
Political observers had long suspected Duterte could spring a surprise, such as a presidential run by his daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, next year.
—NBC News, 2 Oct. 2021
Evans started the meet by spring a surprise victory in the girls 4x800 relay.
—Buddy Collings, orlandosentinel.com, 8 May 2021
Lars Brandle, Billboard, 21 June 2022
Even at 96, the Queen can still spring a surprise.
—Max Foster and Rob Picheta, CNN, 10 June 2022
Can the upstart Memphis Grizzlies spring a surprise?
—USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2022
Political observers had long suspected Duterte could spring a surprise, such as a presidential run by his daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, next year.
—NBC News, 2 Oct. 2021
Evans started the meet by spring a surprise victory in the girls 4x800 relay.
—Buddy Collings, orlandosentinel.com, 8 May 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spring a surprise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near spring a surprise
Cite this Entry
“Spring a surprise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spring%20a%20surprise. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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