Definition of startle - Reverso English Dictionary
Verb
1.
emotiontr. cause to feel sudden shock or alarmtr.
- The loud noise did startle the sleeping dog..
2.
actiontr. stimulate someone to take actiontr.
- The news startled him into making a decision.
3.
reactionintr. move suddenly due to surprise or alarmintr.
- She startles easily at loud sounds.
Noun
emotionsudden motion from unexpected alarm or surprise
- The loud noise gave him a startle.
Expressions with startle
💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.
quick move when surprised or scared
The cat had a startle reaction to the loud noise.
quick physical reaction to surprise or fear
Her startle reflex caused her to jump at the sudden movement.
sudden reaction to surprise or shock
The loud noise triggered his startle response.
Origin of startle
Middle English, sterten (to leap) + -le (frequentative suffix)
Terms with startle included in their meaning
💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.
surprise
shout loudly to startle someone
sudden scare
surprise or startle someone suddenly
emotion
scare or startle someone suddenly
horror
technique in horror to startle viewers
emotion
suddenly startle or surprise someone
emotion
used to startle or frighten someone
startle reaction
expressing surprise or amazement
costume accessory
wig with wild, unkempt hair used to startle or amuse
behavior
more likely to jump or startle easily
Examples of startle in a sentence
He tried not to startle the baby while entering. The alarm startled her awake. His sudden shout startled the audience. The sudden clap startled the baby. I startled awake when the alarm rang. She felt a startle when the cat jumped out.
The unexpected startle caused her to drop the glass.
View all translations of startle
Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
- French:effrayer, sursaut, ...
- German:erschrecken, Schreck, ...
- Italian:sorprendere, sobbalzo, ...
- Spanish:asustar, sobresalto, ...
- Portuguese:sobressaltar, sobressalto, ...
- Chinese:惊吓, 促使, ...
- Japanese:驚かす, 驚き, ...
- Arabic:أَفْزَعَ, فَزَع, ...
- Hebrew:לְהַבְהִיל, בֶּהָלָה, ...
- Russian:испугать, испуг, ...
- Ukrainian:налякати, переляк, ...
- Hindi:चौंकाना, चौंक, ...
icon to discover related terms: analogies, antonyms, common collocates, words with same roots, umbrella terms… Try with happening or hunch.
icon next to the first example to see two additional options and learn to use new vocabulary naturally.
icon to save words you want to revisit. You can also save a specific meaning by clicking on the