surprise

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English[edit]

Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English surprise, borrowed from Middle French surprise (“an overtake”), nominal use of the past participle of Old French sorprendre (“to overtake”), from sor- (“over”) + prendre (“to take”), from Latin prendere, contracted from prehendere (“to grasp, seize”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

surprise (countable and uncountable, plural surprises)

  1. Something not expected.
    • 2013, Daniel Taylor, Rickie Lambert’s debut goal gives England victory over Scotland (in The Guardian, 14 August 2013)[1]
      They had begun brightly but the opening goal was such a blow to their confidence it almost came as a surprise when Walcott, running through the inside-right channel, beat the offside trap and, checking back on to his left foot, turned a low shot beyond Allan McGregor in the Scotland goal.
    • 2012 September 7, Phil McNulty, “Moldova 0-5 England”, in BBC Sport:
      England were graphically illustrating the huge gulf in class between the sides and it was no surprise when Lampard added the second just before the half hour. Steven Gerrard found his Liverpool team-mate Glen Johnson and Lampard arrived in the area with perfect timing to glide a header beyond Namasco.
    It was a surprise to find out I owed twice as much as I thought I did.
  2. (Should we delete(+) this sense?) (attributive) Unexpected.
    The surprise attack was devastating.
  3. The feeling that something unexpected has happened.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 20, in The China Governess‎[2]:
      The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen. […] The second note, the high alarum, not so familiar and always important since it indicates the paramount sin in Man’s private calendar, took most of them by surprise although they had been well prepared.
    Imagine my surprise on learning I owed twice as much as I thought I did.
  4. (obsolete) A dish covered with a crust of raised pastry, but with no other contents.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of King to this entry?)

Synonyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb[edit]

surprise (third-person singular simple present surprises, present participle surprising, simple past and past participle surprised)

  1. (transitive) To cause (someone) to feel unusually alarmed or delighted.
    It surprises me that I owe twice as much as I thought I did.
  2. (transitive) 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.
  3. (intransitive) To undergo or witness something unexpected.
    He doesn’t surprise easily.
  4. (intransitive) To cause surprise.
  5. (transitive) To attack unexpectedly.
  6. (transitive) To take unawares.

Synonyms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Dutch[edit]

Dutch Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nl

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from French surprise.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

surprise f (plural surprises, diminutive surprisetje n)

  1. (Netherlands) a gift wrapped in an ingenious or creative manner. Often given anonymously during Sinterklaas celebrations in a similar way to secret Santa

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From the feminine of surpris, past participle of the verb surprendre.

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

surprise

  1. feminine singular of the past participle of surprendre
    Je t’ai surprise en flagrant délit.
    I caught you in the act.

Adjective[edit]

surprise

  1. feminine singular of surpris

Noun[edit]

surprise f (plural surprises)

  1. surprise (something unexpected)

Further reading[edit]

Middle French[edit]

Noun[edit]

surprise f (plural surprises)

  1. Alternative form of surprinse

Adjective[edit]

surprise

  1. feminine singular of surpris

Verb[edit]

surprise

  1. feminine singular of the past participle of surprendre
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