startle

[ stahr-tl ]
See synonyms for: startlestartledstartling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),star·tled, star·tling.
  1. to disturb or agitate suddenly as by surprise or alarm.

  2. to cause to start involuntarily, by or as by a sudden shock.

verb (used without object),star·tled, star·tling.
  1. to start involuntarily, as from a shock of surprise or alarm.

noun
  1. a sudden shock of surprise, alarm, or the like.

  2. something that startles.

Origin of startle

1
First recorded before 1100; Middle English stertlen “to rush, caper,” equivalent to stert(en) “to begin, start” (see start + -(e)len -le, or continuing Old English steartlian “to kick, struggle”

synonym study For startle

1. See shock1.

Other words for startle

Other words from startle

  • star·tle·ment, noun
  • star·tler, noun
  • out·star·tle, verb (used with object), out·star·tled, out·star·tling.

Words Nearby startle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use startle in a sentence

  • The striking originality of this idea will startle any one who has never heard of such a thing before.

  • "You oughtn't to slip up an' s-startle a lady that-a-way," she said with grave rebuke, and Hale looked humbled.

  • While the Constitution lasts, they are repressed; they spring up to annoy and startle us only from its grave.

  • But Merriwell feared to startle the old man, and therefore he did not call.

    Frank Merriwell's Pursuit | Burt L. Standish

British Dictionary definitions for startle

startle

/ (ˈstɑːtəl) /


verb
  1. to be or cause to be surprised or frightened, esp so as to start involuntarily

Origin of startle

1
Old English steartlian to stumble; related to Middle High German starzen to strut, Norwegian sterta to strain oneself

Derived forms of startle

  • startler, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012