surprise

English Online Dictionary. What means surprise‎? What does surprise mean?

English

Alternative forms

• surprize (US, rare)

Etymology

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 super- + Latin prendere, contracted from prehendere (“to grasp, seize”). Doublet of suppli.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /səˈpɹaɪz/
• (General American) enPR: sərprīzʹ, IPA^(key): /sɚˈpɹaɪz/
• (General American, r-dissimilation) enPR: səprīzʹ, IPA^(key): /səˈpɹaɪz/
• Hyphenation: sur‧prise
• Rhymes: -aɪz

Noun

surprise (countable and uncountable, plural surprises)

1. Something unexpected.
   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     Surprise! - A party! Awesome!
   1. A mess of feces, left by a pet or small child in an unexpected place or at an unexpected time.

3. The feeling that something unexpected has happened.

Synonyms

• (something unexpected): more than one bargained for
• (attributively: unexpected): unexpected
• (feeling): astonishment
• (start): give one a start

Derived terms

Related terms

• quelle surprise

Translations

Verb

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 by something unexpected.

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

3. (intransitive) To undergo or witness something unexpected.

4. (intransitive) To cause surprise.
5. (transitive) To attack unexpectedly.
6. (transitive) To take unawares.

Synonyms

• (to come upon unexpectedly): overtake

Translations

Interjection

surprise

1. Drawing attention to a surprising action by oneself.

2. Sarcastically drawing attention to something that should have been obvious.

Anagrams

• spurries, uprisers

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French surprise.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sʏrˈpriːzə/
• Hyphenation: sur‧pri‧se
• Rhymes: -iːzə

Noun

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
2. a surprise gift
3. (obsolete) a surprise

   Synonym: verrassing

Derived terms

• sinterklaassurprise

French

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /syʁ.pʁiz/

Participle

surprise f sg

1. feminine singular of surpris

Adjective

surprise

1. feminine singular of surpris

Noun

surprise f (plural surprises)

1. surprise (something unexpected)

Derived terms

• ne pas être au bout de ses surprises

Descendants

• → Persian: سورپریز (surpriz)

Further reading

• “surprise”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Middle French

Noun

surprise f (plural surprises)

1. Alternative form of surprinse

Adjective

surprise

1. feminine singular of surpris

Verb

surprise

1. feminine singular of the past participle of surprendre