it came as a surprise to us

  • 1surprise — 1 noun 1 EVENT (C) an unexpected or unusual event: Joan! What a lovely surprise to see you again! | surprise visit/announcement/attack etc: Let s pay grandma a surprise visit. | US forces launched a surprise attack on the Panamanian capital. |… …

    Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • 2surprise — sur|prise1 [ sər praız ] noun *** 1. ) count an unusual or unexpected event: There were few surprises in the basketball playoffs this year. come as a surprise: Holman s arrest came as a surprise to the entire community. come as no surprise: Given …

    Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • 3surprise — I UK [sə(r)ˈpraɪz] / US [sərˈpraɪz] noun Word forms surprise : singular surprise plural surprises *** Ways of expressing surprise: Goodness!/Good heavens!/(Oh) my God → used for showing that you are surprised Good grief! → used for showing that… …

    English dictionary

  • 4surprise*/*/*/ — [səˈpraɪz] noun I 1) [C] an unusual event, or an unexpected piece of news The news came as a big surprise to everyone.[/ex] Given the company s poor performance, the change of management came as no surprise.[/ex] 2) [U] the feeling that you have… …

    Dictionary for writing and speaking English

  • 5surprise — {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun 1 feeling of surprise ADJECTIVE ▪ great, total, utter ▪ mild, slight, some ▪ initial …

    Collocations dictionary

  • 6surprise — sur|prise1 W2S3 [səˈpraız US sər ] n ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(event)¦ 2¦(feeling)¦ 3 take/catch somebody by surprise 4 take somebody/something by surprise 5¦(gift/party etc)¦ 6 surprise guest/visitor etc 7 surprise! 8 9¦(method)¦ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ [ …

    Dictionary of contemporary English

  • 7surprise — [[t]sə(r)pra͟ɪz[/t]] ♦♦ surprises, surprising, surprised 1) N COUNT: oft N to n A surprise is an unexpected event, fact, or piece of news. I have a surprise for you: We are moving to Switzerland!... It may come as a surprise to some that a normal …

    English dictionary

  • 8surprise — 1. noun 1) Kate looked at me in surprise Syn: astonishment, amazement, wonder, incredulity, bewilderment, stupefaction, disbelief 2) the test came as a big surprise Syn: shock, bolt from the blue, bombshell, r …

    Thesaurus of popular words

  • 9surprise — 1. noun 1) Kate looked at me in surprise Syn: astonishment, amazement, wonder, bewilderment, disbelief 2) the test came as a big surprise Syn: shock, bolt from the blue, bombshell, revelation, rude awakening …

    Synonyms and antonyms dictionary

  • 10Surprise of Meaux — The surprise of Meaux ( La surprise de Meaux ) was a conspiracy organised in 1567 by Louis I de Bourbon, prince de Condé to capture Charles IX and the rest of the French royal family. It failed, and sparked the Second War of Religion (1567… …

    Wikipedia