51Թ

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View synonyms for

startle

[ stahr-tl ]

verb (used with object)

startled, startling.
  1. to disturb or agitate suddenly as by surprise or alarm.

    Synonyms: , ,

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


verb (used without object)

startled, startling.
  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.

startle

/ ˈɑːə /

verb

  1. to be or cause to be surprised or frightened, esp so as to start involuntarily
“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈٲٱ, noun
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • ٲ·ٱ·Գ noun
  • ٲ·ٱ noun
  • dzܳ·ٲ·ٱ verb (used with object) outstartled outstartling
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of startle1

First recorded before 1100; Middle English stertlen “to rush, caper,” equivalent to stert(en) “to begin, start” ( start + -(e)len -le, or continuing Old English steartlian “to kick, struggle”
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of startle1

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

See shock 1.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

This wild and impolitic work startled civilized Parisian salons with what sounded like sheer ugliness.

From

I think maybe I startled it, and then when I blew the whistle, I for sure startled it, and I think it was just curious at that point.

From

What happened in the first quarter of this century is already being weaponized in a startling fashion in the second era of Donald Trump.

From

Around the corner, on Crosby Street, the people with RVs have been happy — if, initially, a bit startled — to see nearby restaurants, a supermarket and a gym bustling.

From

The deafening roar of the aircraft startled nearby livestock, sending cattle into panicked stampedes.

From

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