startled; startling
ˈstärt-liŋ 
ˈstär-tᵊl-iŋ
: to move or jump suddenly (as in surprise or alarm)
the baby startles easily
: to frighten or surprise suddenly and usually not seriously
: a sudden mild shock (as of surprise or alarm)
Synonyms
Examples of startle in a Sentence
Verb
I'm sorry that I startled you.
the lightning startled the children and sent them scurrying for cover
Recent Examples on the Web
Tomohiko Taniguchi, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2024
Recently, elementary students were outside during recess when the sight of billowing parachutes in the sky startled them.
—Daniel Estrin, NPR, 11 Apr. 2024
The sound of the missile explosion echoed through the funeral, startling the mourners.
—Constant Méheut Oksana Parafeniuk, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
An object tumbling from the sky had struck Otero’s Naples, Fla., house with a bang that startled his son.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
The question about the 2020 election has startled some of the potential employees, who viewed it as questioning their loyalty to Trump and as an unusual job interview question, according to the people familiar with the interviews.
—Josh Dawsey The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 28 Mar. 2024
In some parts of the New York City area, startled residents spilled out from tenements and row houses onto the sidewalks in front of their buildings in the minutes after the shaking stopped.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
In April 2021, Walker’s great-granddaughter, Brandi Faison, came by to give her Nannie a pedicure and was startled by the sight of her feet — hardened, yellow and cracking, with thick, curling toenails three to four times their normal length.
—Christopher Rowland, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
Detroit Animal Control also warns that wild cats often crawl inside of cars to keep warm by the engine; to give them a chance to escape before starting the engine, knock on the hood of the car or honk the horn to startle them out of place.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 19 Jan. 2024
Lauren Leffer, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2024
For very small babies, swaddling the arms is effective at reducing their startle reflex—which can be disruptive to sleep.
—Samson McDougall, Parents, 8 Sep. 2023
When he was told the shot was in, his eyes opened with a startle, then fell toward the floor.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 10 July 2023
Swaddling also helps prevent babies' natural startle reflex from waking them up, and having their arms held down keeps them from scratching themselves with their razor-sharp little newborn nails.
—Jessica Hartshorn, Good Housekeeping, 22 Feb. 2023
An exaggerated startle response and hypervigilance.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, 16 Feb. 2023
Henning and Muche let out a startle, however, when a beaver struck the bottom of their canoe.
—Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 2 Oct. 2022
And while Levins, 32, of Frankfort, acknowledged the animals may play into some people’s phobias, a startle can be the start of a conversation with one of Crosstown’s handlers.
—Bill Jones, chicagotribune.com, 11 Oct. 2021
Those penguins themselves had something of the startle of art — the reveal of the ever-present real that’s hidden, paradoxically, by information.
—New York Times, 8 July 2020
Verb
This tyranny demands that Japan avoid abrupt, provocative moves that might startle China.
—Tomohiko Taniguchi, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2024
Recently, elementary students were outside during recess when the sight of billowing parachutes in the sky startled them.
—Daniel Estrin, NPR, 11 Apr. 2024
The sound of the missile explosion echoed through the funeral, startling the mourners.
—Constant Méheut Oksana Parafeniuk, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
An object tumbling from the sky had struck Otero’s Naples, Fla., house with a bang that startled his son.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
The question about the 2020 election has startled some of the potential employees, who viewed it as questioning their loyalty to Trump and as an unusual job interview question, according to the people familiar with the interviews.
—Josh Dawsey The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 28 Mar. 2024
In some parts of the New York City area, startled residents spilled out from tenements and row houses onto the sidewalks in front of their buildings in the minutes after the shaking stopped.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
In April 2021, Walker’s great-granddaughter, Brandi Faison, came by to give her Nannie a pedicure and was startled by the sight of her feet — hardened, yellow and cracking, with thick, curling toenails three to four times their normal length.
—Christopher Rowland, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
Detroit Animal Control also warns that wild cats often crawl inside of cars to keep warm by the engine; to give them a chance to escape before starting the engine, knock on the hood of the car or honk the horn to startle them out of place.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 19 Jan. 2024
Noun
Vasas and her colleagues also captured the brief startle display of a black swallowtail caterpillar and saw for the first time that its hornlike defense appendages are UV-reflective.
—Lauren Leffer, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2024
For very small babies, swaddling the arms is effective at reducing their startle reflex—which can be disruptive to sleep.
—Samson McDougall, Parents, 8 Sep. 2023
When he was told the shot was in, his eyes opened with a startle, then fell toward the floor.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 10 July 2023
Swaddling also helps prevent babies' natural startle reflex from waking them up, and having their arms held down keeps them from scratching themselves with their razor-sharp little newborn nails.
—Jessica Hartshorn, Good Housekeeping, 22 Feb. 2023
An exaggerated startle response and hypervigilance.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, 16 Feb. 2023
Henning and Muche let out a startle, however, when a beaver struck the bottom of their canoe.
—Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 2 Oct. 2022
And while Levins, 32, of Frankfort, acknowledged the animals may play into some people’s phobias, a startle can be the start of a conversation with one of Crosstown’s handlers.
—Bill Jones, chicagotribune.com, 11 Oct. 2021
Those penguins themselves had something of the startle of art — the reveal of the ever-present real that’s hidden, paradoxically, by information.
—New York Times, 8 July 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'startle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Startle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/startle. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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