startle

Definitions

1. 1.To excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension; to frighten suddenly and not seriously; to alarm; to surprise. The supposition, at least, that angels do sometimes assume bodies need not startle us. Locke.
2. 2.To deter; to cause to deviate. [R.] Clarendon.
3. 3.A sudden motion or shock caused by an unexpected alarm, surprise, or apprehension of danger. After having recovered from my first startle, I was very well pleased with the accident. Spectator.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Synonyms

Related questions

• What does "startle" mean?

Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is startle.

• What is to deter; to cause to deviate. [R.] Clarendon called?
• What is a sudden motion or shock caused by an unexpected alarm, surprise, or apprehension of danger. After having recovered from my first startle, I was very well pleased with the accident. Spectator called?