50 Idioms for Surprise with Meanings & Sentences
Idioms for Surprise
1. Jump out of your skin
Meaning: To be extremely surprised or scared suddenly.
In a Sentence: I almost jumped out of my skin when the balloon popped.
Other Ways to Say: Get startled / Be shocked
2. Taken aback
Meaning: To feel surprised and unsure what to say or do.
In a Sentence: I was taken aback when my teacher called me first.
Other Ways to Say: Caught off guard / Didn’t expect it
3. Knock your socks off
Meaning: To amaze or impress someone greatly.
In a Sentence: That performance really knocked my socks off!
Other Ways to Say: Wow someone / Leave someone stunned
4. Blow your mind
Meaning: To surprise or amaze someone deeply.
In a Sentence: The special effects in that movie blew my mind.
Other Ways to Say: Amaze / Shock deeply
5. Out of the blue
Meaning: Something that happens unexpectedly.
In a Sentence: He called me out of the blue after five years.
Other Ways to Say: Unexpectedly / All of a sudden
6. Catch off guard
Meaning: To surprise someone when they are not ready.
In a Sentence: The question caught me off guard during the interview.
Other Ways to Say: Surprise / Unprepared
7. Come as a shock
Meaning: To be very surprising and upsetting.
In a Sentence: Her sudden resignation came as a shock.
Other Ways to Say: Be unexpected / Be upsetting
8. Flip out
Meaning: To react very strongly in shock or excitement.
In a Sentence: She flipped out when she saw the surprise gift.
Other Ways to Say: Go wild / Lose control
9. Be floored
Meaning: To be completely amazed or surprised.
In a Sentence: I was floored by his generosity.
Other Ways to Say: Shocked / Astounded
10. Catch by surprise
Meaning: To surprise someone unexpectedly.
In a Sentence: The results caught everyone by surprise.
Other Ways to Say: Take off guard / Startle
11. Raise eyebrows
Meaning: To cause surprise or disapproval.
In a Sentence: His actions raised a lot of eyebrows.
Other Ways to Say: Cause shock / Attract attention
12. Be bowled over
Meaning: To be very impressed or surprised.
In a Sentence: We were bowled over by the hospitality.
Other Ways to Say: Amazed / Impressed
13. Stop dead in your tracks
Meaning: To stop suddenly due to surprise or fear.
In a Sentence: I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw him.
Other Ways to Say: Freeze / Halt suddenly
14. Be stunned
Meaning: To be shocked and unable to react.
In a Sentence: She was stunned by the sudden change.
Other Ways to Say: Dazed / Shocked
15. Have your jaw drop
Meaning: To be extremely surprised or impressed.
In a Sentence: My jaw dropped when I saw the wedding venue.
Other Ways to Say: Amazed / Speechless
16. Be shell-shocked
Meaning: To be deeply shocked or confused.
In a Sentence: He was shell-shocked by the accident.
Other Ways to Say: Numb / Staggered
17. Be wide-eyed
Meaning: To be very surprised or impressed.
In a Sentence: The children were wide-eyed at the fireworks.
Other Ways to Say: Awestruck / Amazed
18. Lose your breath
Meaning: To feel so surprised that you momentarily can’t breathe.
In a Sentence: The view made me lose my breath.
Other Ways to Say: Breathless / Stunned
19. Like a deer in headlights
Meaning: To be frozen in surprise or fear.
In a Sentence: He stood like a deer in headlights when asked to speak.
Other Ways to Say: Paralyzed / Shocked
20. Out of nowhere
Meaning: Appearing suddenly and unexpectedly.
In a Sentence: The opportunity came out of nowhere.
Other Ways to Say: All of a sudden / From thin air
21. It blew me away
Meaning: I was extremely surprised or impressed.
In a Sentence: The performance completely blew me away.
Other Ways to Say: Amazed / Impressed
22. Be dumbfounded
Meaning: To be speechless due to surprise.
In a Sentence: I was dumbfounded by her decision.
Other Ways to Say: Stunned / Amazed
23. Be taken by surprise
Meaning: To be surprised unexpectedly.
In a Sentence: I was taken by surprise when she arrived early.
Other Ways to Say: Shocked / Unprepared
24. Blindsided
Meaning: Caught off guard by something unexpected.
In a Sentence: I felt blindsided by the news.
Other Ways to Say: Caught unaware / Surprised
25. Be amazed
Meaning: To feel wonder or surprise.
In a Sentence: I was amazed by her talent.
Other Ways to Say: Awestruck / Impressed
26. Pull the rug out from under
Meaning: To suddenly remove support or cause surprise.
In a Sentence: The manager pulled the rug out from under our project.
Other Ways to Say: Shock / Undermine
27. Be in disbelief
Meaning: Unable to believe something surprising.
In a Sentence: I was in disbelief after hearing the results.
Other Ways to Say: Can’t believe / Shocked
28. Your eyes pop out
Meaning: To show extreme surprise.
In a Sentence: My eyes popped out when I saw the price tag.
Other Ways to Say: Gawk / Stare in shock
29. Rock someone’s world
Meaning: To completely surprise or change someone’s life.
In a Sentence: Meeting her totally rocked my world.
Other Ways to Say: Shake up / Stun
30. Be thunderstruck
Meaning: Extremely surprised and unable to react.
In a Sentence: We were thunderstruck by the news.
Other Ways to Say: Speechless / Shocked
31. Be flabbergasted
Meaning: Shocked or surprised in an extreme way.
In a Sentence: I was flabbergasted by his response.
Other Ways to Say: Amazed / Stunned
32. Eyes like saucers
Meaning: Eyes wide open in surprise.
In a Sentence: The child had eyes like saucers watching the magician.
Other Ways to Say: Wide-eyed / Shocked
33. Hit like a ton of bricks
Meaning: Sudden and overwhelming shock.
In a Sentence: The news hit me like a ton of bricks.
Other Ways to Say: Strong impact / Emotional shock
34. Be over the moon (surprise + joy)
Meaning: Extremely happy and pleasantly surprised.
In a Sentence: She was over the moon when she got the job.
Other Ways to Say: Ecstatic / Elated
35. A bolt from the blue
Meaning: A sudden and unexpected event.
In a Sentence: His resignation was a bolt from the blue.
Other Ways to Say: Surprise / Unexpected event
36. Blown away
Meaning: To be very impressed or surprised.
In a Sentence: I was blown away by their generosity.
Other Ways to Say: Shocked / Delighted
37. Knock for a loop
Meaning: To surprise and confuse someone.
In a Sentence: The change in schedule knocked me for a loop.
Other Ways to Say: Disoriented / Shaken
38. Left speechless
Meaning: Unable to speak due to surprise.
In a Sentence: I was left speechless by the proposal.
Other Ways to Say: Wordless / Shocked
39. Rattle someone
Meaning: To cause someone to feel nervous or surprised.
In a Sentence: The sudden question rattled me.
Other Ways to Say: Unsettle / Shake
40. Pop out of nowhere
Meaning: To appear suddenly.
In a Sentence: He popped out of nowhere and scared me.
Other Ways to Say: Appear suddenly / Surprise
41. Be on cloud nine (joyful surprise)
Meaning: Extremely happy due to a good surprise.
In a Sentence: I was on cloud nine after winning.
Other Ways to Say: Overjoyed / Happy
42. Scare the daylights out of
Meaning: To greatly frighten someone.
In a Sentence: That prank scared the daylights out of me.
Other Ways to Say: Terrify / Shock
43. Make someone jump
Meaning: To startle or surprise someone.
In a Sentence: The loud noise made me jump.
Other Ways to Say: Startle / Alarm
44. Blow out of the water
Meaning: To shock by doing something much better than expected.
In a Sentence: Her design blew the competition out of the water.
Other Ways to Say: Outperform / Impress
45. Be astonished
Meaning: To be greatly surprised or amazed.
In a Sentence: I was astonished at the transformation.
Other Ways to Say: Amazed / Stunned
46. Shake to the core
Meaning: To deeply shock or move someone.
In a Sentence: The tragedy shook me to the core.
Other Ways to Say: Devastate / Rattle deeply
47. Eyes bulge
Meaning: Eyes widen in shock or surprise.
In a Sentence: His eyes bulged when he saw the cake.
Other Ways to Say: Stare / Gape
48. Freeze in place
Meaning: To be unable to move due to shock.
In a Sentence: I froze in place when I saw the snake.
Other Ways to Say: Stop / Be paralyzed
49. Left in the lurch
Meaning: Surprised by being abandoned suddenly.
In a Sentence: She left me in the lurch during the project.
Other Ways to Say: Deserted / Abandoned
50. Catch someone napping
Meaning: To surprise someone who is not paying attention.
In a Sentence: The team was caught napping during the final move.
Other Ways to Say: Off guard / Not alert
