as in amazes
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected
it astounds me that you flew all the way out here just for my birthday
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for astounds
Verb
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Eva’s romance with her husband, Franklin Plaskett, delights and amazes her.—
Adelle Waldman,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026 -
What amazes me is how good human beings can be in a crisis.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
21 Nov. 2025
Verb
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His work astonishes and moves people far beyond the fashion bubble to this day.—
WWD Staff,
Footwear News,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The contrast of her smokey eyes, noticeably created with softer brown tones instead of black or gray, adds drama to this red carpet look that stuns without feeling overdone.—
Nicole Catanese,
InStyle,
25 Feb. 2026
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Executive producer and star of the film, Danielle Brooks, stuns with her performance as a mother trying to juggle it all and offers an honest portrayal of what happens when extenuating circumstances prevent closeness and warmth within a household.—
Dominique Fluker,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And even if Ellison surprises people and actually keeps CNN siloed off from Weiss’s project at CBS, the amount of debt his new company will carry very likely means CNN, already reeling from cuts under current WB Discovery boss David Zaslav’s rule, will see its budget and ambitions shrink.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
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While this admission made at the NFL Combine surprises absolutely nobody, the description, and a subtle exclusion, does provide a hint of what’s to come this spring and summer.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The scheme shocks their high-strung son Harold (Roberts), whose wife, Neha (Gill), is a local police officer.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
18 Feb. 2026
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By contrast, in the United States, employers are not required to offer or contribute to a retirement plan at all – a fact that shocks many workers with pensions.—
Teresa Ghilarducci,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The project, which Steinberger has rebranded multiple times—evolving from Clawdbot to Moltbot and finally to OpenClaw—largely owing to politics—has expanded at a pace that startles even seasoned AI experts.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
19 Feb. 2026
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As the dolphin gets closer to the glass, the Chihuahua lets out a bark that startles the dolphin, who then starts mimicking the dog's mouth movements in a sort of chasing game across species.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Astounds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/astounds. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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