Pronunciation: /stɑːrtl/
noun a sudden shock or surprise
A1 The loud noise caused a startle in the baby.
A2 She let out a startle when the cat suddenly jumped out at her.
B1 The unexpected appearance of the ghost gave her a startle.
B2 The startle from the sudden thunderstorm made everyone jump.
C1 His startle at the news was evident in his wide-eyed expression.
C2 The startle from the unexpected announcement left the audience in stunned silence.
verb to cause someone to feel sudden shock or surprise
A1 The loud noise startled the cat.
A2 I was startled by a sudden clap of thunder.
B1 The unexpected news startled everyone in the room.
B2 The sudden appearance of the ghost startled the guests at the haunted house.
C1 She tried not to startle the deer as she quietly approached it in the forest.
C2 The unexpected phone call startled him out of his deep concentration.
formal The sudden loud noise caused the audience to startle.
informal I didn't mean to startle you when I walked in.
slang The horror movie really startled me, I jumped out of my skin!
figurative The unexpected news of her promotion startled everyone in the office.
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