English · Word Candidate

surprise

/sə(ː)ˈpɹaɪ̯z/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: surprises · surprising · surprised

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Something unexpected.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Điều gì đó không lường trước

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

It was a surprise to find out I owed twice as much as I thought.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Something unexpected. — A mess of feces, left by a pet or small child in an unexpected place or at an unexpected time.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Điều bất ngờ. — Một mớ phân, để lại bởi thú cưng hoặc trẻ nhỏ ở một nơi hoặc thời điểm bất ngờ.

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

After the housecleaners drove off, the cat left a surprise for us on the carpet.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To cause (someone) to feel unusually alarmed or delighted by something unexpected.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Gây cho ai đó cảm giác bị đánh động

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Verb

Examples

It surprises me that I owe twice as much as I thought I did.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

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

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Làm điều gì đó ngoài dự kiến của người khác

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Verb

Examples

He doesn’t know that I’m in the country – I thought I’d turn up at his house and surprise him.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “surprise” mean?

Something unexpected.

Is “surprise” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.