DictionaryAI

surprise

sur-PRYZ/sɚˈpɹaɪz/UKsuh-PRYZ/səˈpɹaɪz/

Pluralsurprises

Verbsurprises, surprising, surprised

8 meanings of surprise

Practice

  1. 1
    something unexpectednouncountable
    An unexpected event, fact, or occurrence.

    The announcement came as a complete surprise to the staff.

    Life is full of small surprises that no one can predict.

    UsageOften come as a surprise (to someone) or it's no surprise that. A surprise is the event; your surprise is the feeling.

    Similarshock, revelation, bombshell, eye-opener

  2. 2
    the feelingnoununcountable
    The feeling caused by something unexpected happening.

    A look of surprise crossed his face when the lights came on.

    There was genuine surprise in the room at the announcement.

    UsageOften to my surprise, in surprise, or the dry imagine my surprise.

    Similarastonishment, amazement, shock, wonder

  3. 3
    verbintransitive
    To cause someone to feel surprise because something is unexpected; also (intransitive or passive) to feel this, as in 'doesn't surprise easily' or 'was surprised'.

    Given the polls, the result should not surprise.

    The sudden resignation of the coach surprised even his closest friends.

    UsageUse surprised at/by + noun or surprised to + base verb: surprised at the news, surprised by it, surprised to hear it.

    Similarastonish, amaze, shock

  4. 4
    verbtransitive
    To do something unexpected for a person, such as a gift or visit planned as a surprise.

    They planned to surprise their father with a new car.

    She surprised her sister with a homemade dinner on her birthday.

    UsageUsually surprise someone with something: surprised her with a dinner.

  5. 5
    verbtransitive
    To come upon, catch, or attack a person or group suddenly, when they are unaware or unprepared.

    The general aimed to surprise the garrison before reinforcements arrived.

    Raiders surprised the outpost and seized it within minutes.

    Note

    The attacking sense sits closest to the word's origin. Old French sorprendre meant "to overtake." It was built from sor- "over" and prendre "to take," which goes back to Latin prehendere, "to grasp, seize." To surprise a garrison is, at root, to overtake and seize it. Most other senses of the word keep that image of being caught before one can react.

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

    • The attacking sense is close to the original sense of seizing or overtaking. en.wiktionary.org
    • Old French sorprendre meant “to overtake.” en.wiktionary.org
    • Sorprendre consists of sor- “over” and prendre “to take.” en.wiktionary.org
    • Prendre ultimately derives from Latin prehendere, meaning “to grasp, seize.” en.wiktionary.org
    • The garrison example reflects the historical sense of overtaking and seizing. en.wiktionary.org

Less common meanings

  1. 6
    how predictableinterjection
    An exclamation used sarcastically to highlight something entirely predictable.

    Surprise, surprise: the train is late yet again.

    And, surprise, nobody read the memo before the meeting.

    UsageUsually doubled, surprise, surprise, and often dropped in as a dry aside.

    Note

    It often slips into the middle of a sentence as an aside, even in technical prose. John Connell's Beginning Visual Basic 6 Database Programming (1998) mentions a folder called (surprise!) Modules.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • John Connell wrote Beginning Visual Basic 6 Database Programming. link.springer.com
    • The book mentions a folder called Modules, inserting “(surprise!)” before its name. en.wiktionary.org
  2. 7
    interjection
    An exclamation announcing a surprising act or reveal by the speaker.

    Surprise! The whole family flew in just to see you.

    She leaped from behind the couch with a joyful 'Surprise!'

  3. 8
    pet messnouncountable
    A polite word for a mess of feces left by a pet or small child where it is not expected.

    By the door lay a little surprise the new kitten had left overnight.

    He groaned after stepping in a surprise the dog had hidden in the grass.

    UsageUsually with leave: the cat left a surprise on the carpet.

Practice

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Origin

This word came through Middle English from Middle French surprise ("an overtake"), the noun use of the past participle of Old French sorprendre ("to overtake"). That verb was formed from sor- ("over") and prendre ("to take"), from Latin super- plus prendere, a contracted form of prehendere ("to grasp, seize").

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 6 facts

  • The word came through Middle English from Middle French surprise, meaning “an overtake”. en.wiktionary.org
  • The French noun originated as a noun use of the past participle of Old French sorprendre, meaning “to overtake”. en.wiktionary.org
  • The Old French verb combined sor-, meaning “over”, with prendre, meaning “to take”. en.wiktionary.org
  • The prefix sor- derives from Latin super-. en.wiktionary.org
  • Old French prendre derives from Latin prendere. en.wiktionary.org
  • Latin prendere is a contracted form of prehendere, meaning “to grasp, seize”. en.wiktionary.org