astonish
verb /əˈstɒnɪʃ/
/əˈstɑːnɪʃ/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they astonish | /əˈstɒnɪʃ/ /əˈstɑːnɪʃ/ |
he / she / it astonishes | /əˈstɒnɪʃɪz/ /əˈstɑːnɪʃɪz/ |
past simple astonished | /əˈstɒnɪʃt/ /əˈstɑːnɪʃt/ |
past participle astonished | /əˈstɒnɪʃt/ /əˈstɑːnɪʃt/ |
-ing form astonishing | /əˈstɒnɪʃɪŋ/ /əˈstɑːnɪʃɪŋ/ |
- to surprise somebody very much synonym amazeSynonyms surprisesurprise
- startle
- amaze
- stun
- astonish
- take somebody aback
- astound
- surprise to give somebody the feeling that you get when something happens that you do not expect or do not understand, or something that you do expect does not happen; to make somebody feel surprised:
- The outcome didn’t surprise me at all.
- startle to surprise somebody suddenly in a way that slightly shocks or frightens them:
- Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.
- The explosion startled the horse.
- amaze to surprise somebody very much:
- Just the huge size of the place amazed her.
- stun (rather informal) (often in newspapers) to surprise or shock somebody so much that they cannot think clearly or speak
- astonish to surprise somebody very much:
- The news astonished everyone.
- take somebody aback [usually passive] (especially of something negative) to surprise or shock somebody:
- We were rather taken aback by her hostile reaction.
- astound to surprise or shock somebody very much:
- His arrogance astounded her.
- It surprises somebody/startles somebody/amazes somebody/stuns somebody/astonishes somebody/takes somebody aback/astounds somebody
- to surprise/startle/amaze/stun/astonish/astound somebody that…
- to surprise/amaze somebody what/how…
- to surprise/startle/amaze/stun/astonish/astound somebody to know/find/learn/see/hear…
- to be surprised/startled/stunned into (doing) something
- astonish somebody The news astonished everyone.
- She astonished us by saying she was leaving.
- You astonish me!
- it astonishes somebody (that)… It astonishes me (that) he could be so thoughtless.
Word Originearly 16th cent. (as astonished, in the sense ‘stunned, bewildered, dismayed’): from obsolete astone ‘stun, stupefy’, from Old French estoner, based on Latin ex- ‘out’ + tonare ‘to thunder’.