When something catches you off guard or happens differently than you expected, you feel surprised. Surprise is that sudden jolt of emotion when reality doesn't match what your brain predicted would happen.

You might feel surprised when you open a gift and find exactly what you hoped for, or when you discover your best friend is moving to a different state. A pop quiz surprises you because you weren't expecting it. A surprise party catches someone completely off guard because they thought they were walking into a regular room, not one full of celebrating friends.

Surprises can be pleasant or unpleasant. Finding twenty dollars in your coat pocket is a nice surprise. Realizing you forgot to study for a test is an unpleasant one. Either way, that feeling of surprise comes from the gap between what you thought would happen and what actually did.

The word can also describe the unexpected thing itself: “The magician pulled a rabbit out of his hat for the big surprise.” When something is surprising, it has the quality of catching people off guard. If nothing ever surprised you, life would feel predictable and maybe a bit boring.