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 elicit or bring out suddenly and without warning. to surprise the facts from the witness. to lead or bring unawares, as into doing something not intended. to surprise a witness into telling the truth. an act or …

[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 …

2. used as a noun If something is a surprise, it surprises someone. The result came as a surprise to everyone. It was a great surprise to find out I had won. In stories, expressions such as to my surprise …

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 …

• 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. • …