I. sur ‧ prise 1 S3 W2 /səˈpraɪz $ sər-/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: adjective : ↑ surprised , ↑ surprising ≠ ↑ unsurprising ; verb : ↑ surprise ; noun : ↑ surprise ; adverb : ↑ surprisingly ≠ ↑ unsurprisingly ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: past participle of surprendre 'to take over, surprise' , from sur- ( ⇨ ↑ surcharge ) + prendre 'to take' ]
1 . EVENT [countable] an unexpected or unusual event ⇨ shock :
What a surprise to find you here!
We had a big surprise when we found out the truth.
2 . FEELING [uncountable and countable] the feeling you have when something unexpected or unusual happens ⇨ shock :
The man had a look of surprise on his face.
in/with surprise
Bill looked at him in surprise.
to sb’s surprise (=in a way that surprises someone)
Much to his surprise, she gave him her phone number.
3 . take/catch somebody by surprise to happen unexpectedly:
The question took her by surprise.
4 . take somebody/something by surprise to suddenly attack a place or an opponent when they are not ready:
The guerrillas were killed when army troops took them by surprise.
5 . GIFT/PARTY ETC [countable usually singular] an unexpected present, trip etc which you give to someone or organize for them, often on a special occasion
surprise for
‘I’ve got a surprise for you,’ she said.
6 . surprise guest/visitor etc someone who arrives somewhere unexpectedly
7 . surprise! spoken used when you are just about to show someone something that you know will surprise them
8 .
a) surprise, surprise used when saying in a joking way that you expected something to happen or be true:
The American TV networks are, surprise, surprise, full of stories about the election.
b) British English spoken used when you suddenly appear in front of someone who you know is not expecting to see you
9 . METHOD [uncountable] the use of methods which are intended to cause surprise:
An element of surprise is important to any attack.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ be a surprise
His decision to marry was a complete surprise.
▪ come as a surprise (=be surprising)
The announcement came as a surprise to most people.
▪ get/have a surprise
We got a surprise when we got home and found him waiting for us.
▪ give somebody a surprise
She wanted to give him a surprise.
▪ have a surprise for somebody (=be planning to give someone a surprise)
I think Jenny might have a surprise for you.
▪ spring a surprise (on somebody) (=give someone a surprise)
The chairman sprang a surprise this week by announcing his intention to quit.
■ adjectives
▪ a big/great surprise
The results were a big surprise.
▪ a complete/total surprise
The news came as a complete surprise.
▪ a nice/pleasant/lovely surprise
It’s a lovely surprise to see you.
▪ an unpleasant/nasty surprise
We don’t want any unpleasant surprises.
■ phrases
▪ come as no surprise (=not be surprising )
It came as no surprise when Lester got the job.
▪ be in for a surprise (=be going to have a surprise)
Compare our prices. You’ll be in for a pleasant surprise.
▪ there’s a surprise in store (for somebody) (=something unexpected is going to happen)
There were plenty more surprises in store for him.
■ surprise + NOUN
▪ a surprise visit
Environmental health inspectors made a surprise visit to the restaurant.
▪ a surprise party
His friends had planned a surprise party for him.
▪ a surprise announcement
In a surprise announcement the company said they were withdrawing their planning application.
▪ a surprise victory
She came to power in 1977, after a surprise victory in the general election.
▪ a surprise attack
Instead they launched a successful surprise attack on the castle.
▪ a surprise move (=an unexpected action)
In a surprise move, the government lifted the ban on arms exports to the country.
■ COMMON ERRORS
► Do not say ' a bad surprise '. Say an unpleasant surprise or a nasty surprise .
II. surprise 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: adjective : ↑ surprised , ↑ surprising ≠ ↑ unsurprising ; verb : ↑ surprise ; noun : ↑ surprise ; adverb : ↑ surprisingly ≠ ↑ unsurprisingly ]
1 . to make someone feel surprised ⇨ shock :
His strange question surprised her.
it surprises somebody to see/find/know etc
It had surprised me to find how fussy he was about some things.
I didn’t know you two knew each other. Mind you, it doesn’t surprise me.
What surprised me most was that she didn’t seem to care.
it surprises somebody (that)
Looking back, does it surprise you that she left?
It wouldn’t surprise me if he married Jo.
2 . to find, catch, or attack someone when they are not expecting it, especially when they are doing something they should not be doing:
A security guard surprised the burglars in the storeroom.
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THESAURUS
▪ surprise to make someone feel surprised, especially because they did not expect something:
Her reaction surprised me – I didn’t realize how strongly she felt.
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What surprised me was how cheap everything was compared to at home.
▪ amaze to greatly surprise someone, for example because something is very good, unusual, or hard to believe:
He amazed everyone with his skill.
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It amazes me that no one has thought of the idea before.
▪ astonish to greatly surprise someone:
Myra astonished her doctors by recovering so quickly.
▪ astound to greatly surprise or shock someone. Astound sounds a little more formal and a little stronger than astonish :
What astounded him was their inefficiency.
▪ take somebody by surprise to happen at an unexpected time, so that people are surprised or unprepared:
Security men were taken by surprise as the man ran onto the stage.
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His resignation took us by surprise.
▪ startle to make someone feel surprised or slightly frightened by doing something they did not expect:
The wind made the door shut with a crash, which startled her.
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Sudden movements may startle the horse.