Definitions for surprise
sərˈpraɪz, sə-sur·prise

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. surprise(noun)

   the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you

2. surprise(noun)

   a sudden unexpected event

3. surprise, surprisal(verb)

   the act of surprising someone

4. surprise(verb)

   cause to be surprised

   "The news really surprised me"

5. surprise(verb)

   come upon or take unawares

   "She surprised the couple"; "He surprised an interesting scene"

6. storm, surprise(verb)

   attack by storm; attack suddenly

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. surprise(Noun)

   Something not expected.

   It was a surprise to find out I owed twice as much as I thought I did.

2. surprise(Noun)

   Unexpected.

   The surprise attack was devastating.

3. surprise(Noun)

   The feeling that something unexpected has happened.

   Imagine my surprise on learning I owed twice as much as I thought I did.

4. surprise(Verb)

   To cause (someone) to feel unusually alarmed or delighted.

   It surprises me that I owe twice as much as I thought I did.

5. surprise(Verb)

   To do something to (a person) that they are not expecting, as a surprise.

   He doesn't know that I'm in the country - I thought I'd turn up at his house and surprise him.

6. surprise(Verb)

   To undergo or witness something unexpected.

   He doesn't surprise easily.

7. surprise(Verb)

   To cause surprise.

8. surprise(Verb)

   To attack unexpectedly.

9. surprise(Verb)

   To take unawares.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Surprise(noun)

   the act of coming upon, or taking, unawares; the act of seizing unexpectedly; surprisal; as, the fort was taken by surprise

2. Surprise(noun)

   the state of being surprised, or taken unawares, by some act or event which could not reasonably be foreseen; emotion excited by what is sudden and strange; a suddenly excited feeling of wonder or astonishment

3. Surprise(noun)

   anything that causes such a state or emotion

4. Surprise(noun)

   a dish covered with a crust of raised paste, but with no other contents

5. Surprise(noun)

   to come or fall suddenly and unexpectedly; to take unawares; to seize or capture by unexpected attack

6. Surprise(noun)

   to strike with wonder, astonishment, or confusion, by something sudden, unexpected, or remarkable; to confound; as, his conduct surprised me

7. Surprise(noun)

   to lead (one) to do suddenly and without forethought; to bring (one) into some unexpected state; -- with into; as, to be surprised into an indiscretion; to be surprised into generosity

8. Surprise(noun)

   to hold possession of; to hold

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Surprise

   sur-prīz′, n. act of taking unawares: the emotion caused by anything sudden: amazement.—v.t. to come upon suddenly or unawares: to lead or bring unawares, to betray (with into): to strike with wonder or astonishment: to confuse.—n. Surprīs′al, act of surprising.—adv. Surprīs′edly.—adj. Surprīs′ing, exciting surprise: wonderful: unexpected.—adv. Surprīs′ingly.—n. Surprīs′ingness. [Fr.,—surpris, pa.p. of surprendre—L. super, over, prehendĕre, to catch.]

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. surprise

   In war, to fall on an enemy unexpectedly, in marching through narrow and difficult passes, when one part of an army has passed, and is not able to come at once to the succor of the other; as in the passage of woods, rivers, inclosures, etc. A place is surprised by drains, casements, or the issues of rivers or canals; by encumbering the bridge or gate, or by wagons meeting and stopping each other; or by sending soldiers into the place, under pretense of being deserters, who, on entering, surprise the guard, being sustained by troops at hand in ambush, to whom they give entrance, and thereby seize the place. Military history abounds with instances of successful surprises.

Editors Contribution(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. surprise

   To bring, give or receive a joyful, logical and just contribution or gift.

   We all love our family so we regularly arrange a family gathering for us all, we love to surprise with the type of food we contribute.

   Submitted by MaryC on April 16, 2016  

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. surprise

   The surprise symbol -- In this Symbols.com article you will learn about the meaning of the surprise symbol and its characteristic.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'surprise' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2153

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'surprise' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3235

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'surprise' in Nouns Frequency: #903

4. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'surprise' in Verbs Frequency: #894

How to pronounce surprise?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say surprise in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of surprise in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of surprise in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of surprise in a Sentence

1. Po Murray:

   It’s a real surprise: You find out you could be invested indirectly in Smith & Wesson, i don’t want to be invested in gun companies.

2. Dana Leigh Marks:

   While it's not a surprise that a major decision is going to be announced today, it's rather unsettling, because we feel like we're the last to know, and we need time to study and digest it.

3. Jack Rivkin:

   That took a lot of people by surprise, and translating that through the markets, it ought to make you a lot more positive on the equity side.

4. Mary Ann Burg:

   They may have been told to some degrees what the side effects are, but ultimately they find there is more of an impact than they realized, if people feel better prepared even if they have negative consequences, do they cope with it better than if it were an unpleasant surprise?

5. Anne Case:

   We have come to expect mortality rates in middle age to continue to decline, which they did throughout most of the 20th century...it was really a surprise to see a sustained period when mortality rates actually increased (among middle-aged white Americans).

Images & Illustrations of surprise

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