surprise

surprise
    n 1: the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected
         happens to you
    2: a sudden unexpected event
    3: the act of surprising someone [syn: {surprise}, {surprisal}]
    v 1: cause to be surprised; "The news really surprised me"
    2: come upon or take unawares; "She surprised the couple"; "He
       surprised an interesting scene"
    3: attack by storm; attack suddenly [syn: {storm}, {surprise}]
    

Surprise \Sur*prise"\, n. [F. surprise, fr. surprendre, surpris;
   sur over + prendre to take, L. prehendere. See {Sur-}, and
   {Prehensile}.]
   1. The act of coming upon, or taking, unawares; the act of
      seizing unexpectedly; surprisal; as, the fort was taken by
      surprise.
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   2. The state of being surprised, or taken unawares, by some
      act or event which could not reasonably be foreseen;
      emotion excited by what is sudden and strange; a suddenly
      excited feeling of wonder or astonishment.
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            Pure surprise and fear
            Made me to quit the house.            --Shak.
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   3. Anything that causes such a state or emotion.
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   4. A dish covered with a crust of raised paste, but with no
      other contents. [Obs.] --King.
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   {Surprise party}, a party of persons who assemble by mutual
      agreement, and without invitation, at the house of a
      common friend. [U.S.] --Bartlett.
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   Syn: Wonder; astonishment; amazement.
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Surprise \Sur*prise"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Surprised}; p. pr. &
   vb. n. {Surprising}.] [From {Surprise}, n.: cf. F.
   surprendre, p. p. surpris.]
   1. To come or fall suddenly and unexpectedly; to take
      unawares; to seize or capture by unexpected attack.
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            Fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. --Isa.
                                                  xxxiii. 14.
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            The castle of Macduff I will surprise. --Shak.
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            Who can speak
            The mingled passions that surprised his heart?
                                                  --Thomson.
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   2. To strike with wonder, astonishment, or confusion, by
      something sudden, unexpected, or remarkable; to confound;
      as, his conduct surprised me.
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            I am surprised with an uncouth fear.  --Shak.
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            Up he starts,
            Discovered and surprised.             --Milton.
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   3. To lead (one) to do suddenly and without forethought; to
      bring (one) into some unexpected state; -- with into; as,
      to be surprised into an indiscretion; to be surprised into
      generosity.
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   4. To hold possession of; to hold. [Obs.]
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            Not with me,
            That in my hands surprise the sovereignity. --J.
                                                  Webster.
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   Syn: See {Astonish}.
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Surprise, AZ (town, FIPS 71510)
  Location: 33.66411 N, 112.46845 W
  Population (1990): 7122 (5256 housing units)
  Area: 161.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
  Zip code(s): 85374
Surprise, NE (village, FIPS 47850)
  Location: 41.10439 N, 97.30863 W
  Population (1990): 55 (26 housing units)
  Area: 1.0 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Surprise, NY
  Zip code(s): 12176
    

Surprise, NE -- U.S. village in Nebraska
   Population (2000):    44
   Housing Units (2000): 22
   Land area (2000):     0.399762 sq. miles (1.035380 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    0.399762 sq. miles (1.035380 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            47850
   Located within:       Nebraska (NE), FIPS 31
   Location:             41.104403 N, 97.308948 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):    
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Surprise, NE
    Surprise
    

Surprise, AZ -- U.S. city in Arizona
   Population (2000):    30848
   Housing Units (2000): 16260
   Land area (2000):     69.493923 sq. miles (179.988427 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.018654 sq. miles (0.048314 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    69.512577 sq. miles (180.036741 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            71510
   Located within:       Arizona (AZ), FIPS 04
   Location:             33.651785 N, 112.397197 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     85374
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Surprise, AZ
    Surprise
    

138 Moby Thesaurus words for "surprise":
      admiration, amaze, amazement, ambush, assail, assault, astonish,
      astonishment, astound, astoundment, attack, awe, awestrike, bedaze,
      bedazzle, beguilement, bewilder, bewilderment, blitz, blockbuster,
      blow, boggle, bomb, bombshell, bowl down, bowl over,
      breathless wonder, bushwhack, capture, catch, catch off-guard,
      catch unawares, come at, come down on, come from behind,
      come upon unexpectedly, confound, crack down on, daze, dazzle,
      descend on, descend upon, discomfit, disconcert, discover, dismay,
      do the unexpected, drop in on, dumbfound, dumbfounder,
      dumbfoundment, earthshaker, eye-opener, fall on, fall upon,
      fascination, faze, flabbergast, floor, gang up on, go at, go for,
      grab, grasp, harry, have at, hit, hit like lightning, incredulity,
      joker, jolt, jump, kicker, land on, lay at, lay for, lay hands on,
      lay into, light into, marvel, marveling, mug, nonplus, overwhelm,
      paralyze, peripeteia, perplex, petrify, pitch into, pounce upon,
      pound, pull up short, puzzlement, rattle, revelation, rock,
      sail into, seize, sense of mystery, sense of wonder, set on,
      set upon, shock, shocker, sneak attack, spring a surprise,
      spring upon, stagger, staggerer, startle, startler, strike,
      strike dead, strike dumb, strike with wonder, stun, stupefaction,
      stupefy, surprisal, surprise attack, surprise ending,
      surprise package, surprise party, swan, switch, swoop down on,
      take, take aback, take by surprise, take short, take the offensive,
      take unawares, thunderbolt, thunderclap, wade into, waylay, wonder,
      wonderment