surprise, astonish, astound, amaze, flabbergast mean to impress forcibly through unexpectedness. surprise stresses causing an effect through being unexpected but not necessarily unusual or novel. …

full of surprises You're always full of surprises (= doing unexpected things). spring a surprise on I wish you wouldn't keep springing surprises on me (= telling me unexpected things or causing unexpected …

to strike or occur to with a sudden feeling of wonder or astonishment, as through unexpectedness. Her beauty surprised me. to come upon or discover suddenly and unexpectedly. We surprised the …

1. used as a verb If something surprises you, you did not expect it. What you say surprises me. Her decision to resign had surprised everybody. Don't use a progressive form of surprise. Don't say, for …

[countable] an event, a piece of news, etc. that is unexpected or that happens suddenly. What a nice surprise! I have a surprise for you! There are few surprises in this year's budget. It comes as no …

Nov 19, 2025 · surprise (third-person singular simple present surprises, present participle surprising, simple past and past participle surprised) (transitive) To cause (someone) to feel unusually alarmed …

something that surprises someone; a completely unexpected occurrence, appearance, or statement: His announcement was a surprise to all. an assault, as on an army or a fort, made without warning.

• And I've always liked to be ready for surprises, especially the lethal sort. • Sam stared at his girlfriend in surprise. "What are you doing here?'' he asked. • I've got a little surprise waiting for you at home. • …

Some common synonyms of surprise are amaze, astonish, astound, and flabbergast. While all these words mean "to impress forcibly through unexpectedness," surprise stresses causing an effect …

SURPRISE definition: 1. an event that you did not expect to happen: 2. the feeling that you get when something happens…. Learn more.