Added 8 October 2026
surprise
/sə(ː)ˈpɹaɪ̯z/ noun
In Latin: inopīnātum Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about surprise at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Something unexpected.
It was a surprise to find out I owed twice as much as I thought.
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A mess of feces, left by a pet or small child in an unexpected place or at an unexpected time.
After the housecleaners drove off, the cat left a surprise for us on the carpet.
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The feeling that something unexpected has happened.
Imagine my surprise on learning I owed twice as much as I thought I did.
verb
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To cause (someone) to feel unusually alarmed or delighted by something unexpected.
It surprises me that I owe twice as much as I thought I did.
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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.
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To undergo or witness something unexpected.
He doesn’t surprise easily.
interjection
Origin
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)