startle
/ˈstɑːt(ə)l
/verb [with object]
Cause to feel sudden shock or alarm: a sudden sound in the doorway startled her [with infinitive]: he was startled to see a column of smoke (as adjective startled) her startled eyes met his...
- She doesn't preach or exhort or alarm; she startles you into action.
- The alarm clock startles you out of blissful alcoholic slumber and thrusts you into a nightmare world of pain and regret.
- Darin has been staring into space, so Jason's sudden yelling startles him.
Synonyms
surprise, frighten, scare, alarm, give someone a shock, give someone a fright, give someone a jolt, make someone jump;
perturb, unsettle, agitate, disturb, disconcert, disquiet
informal give someone a turn, make someone jump out of their skin, flabbergast
Derivatives
startler
- And some of the names are real startlers, with world titles and championship medals to boot.
- This week he has been growling along to the following selection of diverse audio startlers.
- While some problems are the usual run of the mill situations, the job does throw up some startlers to keep the brain ticking.
Origin
Old English steartlian 'kick, struggle', from the base of start. The early sense gave rise to 'move quickly, caper' (typically said of cattle), whence 'cause to react with fear' (late 16th century).