the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
"When I walked into the kitchen and found a giant cake waiting for me, pure surprise filled my heart."
a sudden unexpected event
"The loud crash from upstairs was such a surprise that everyone froze in their tracks."
Something unexpected.
"The sudden snowstorm was a complete surprise to everyone who thought winter had already passed."
In plain English: A surprise is something unexpected that happens when you least expect it.
"The sudden surprise of finding cash in my pocket made me smile."
To cause (someone) to feel unusually alarmed or delighted by something unexpected.
"The sudden arrival of her long-lost brother truly surprised Sarah, leaving her both shocked and overjoyed."
In plain English: To surprise someone means to catch them off guard by doing something unexpected.
"The sudden noise surprised me."
Usage: Use surprise as an intransitive verb when describing the feeling itself, such as being surprised at a gift, but use it transitively with a direct object only if followed immediately by "that" clauses or infinitive phrases indicating what caused the reaction. Avoid confusing this emotional response with the noun form of the word unless clearly distinguished by sentence structure.
The word surprise entered English from Middle French, originally meaning "an overtake." It is built on the idea of taking something by force, combining roots that mean "over" and "to take."