startle
part of speech
verb (startle, startles, startled, startling)
meaning for a pupil
1) To startle someone is to surprise or frighten them suddenly, so that they jump or move quickly. tree →
2) To be startled is to get a sudden small fright. tree →
3) Something startling is so surprising that it makes you jump. tree →
sense in the lessons
In stories, a loud noise startles a character or animal; deer startle and run. In safety and animal care, do not startle dogs, horses or babies, because a startled animal may bite or kick. Phrases: «startled by», «a startled look».
examples
- The loud bang startled the baby. tree →
- Don't startle the horse by running behind it. tree →
- The deer was startled and ran into the trees. tree →
- I was startled when my phone rang in the quiet library. tree →
- He gave me a startled look. tree →
- A sudden shout can startle a sleeping dog. tree →
- The cat startled when the door slammed. tree →
- But indeed there was something else, something very astonishing and startling. tree →
note
Regular verb: drop the e: «startled», «startling». «Startling» as an adjective means very surprising («startling news»). Startle is a sudden small fright, weaker than «terrify». Approach animals calmly so you do not startle them.
In the corpora
- Owl butterflies have large eye spots on the underside of their wings that may startle birds or draw their pecks away from the body.
- Octopuses change colour in a flash with millions of tiny colour sacs in their skin, to hide, show mood or startle enemies.
- A girl in Kentucky walked right behind a horse without speaking; it was startled, kicked out and bruised her leg badly.
- A boy in Texas woke his hamster in the daytime by poking it; the startled hamster bit his finger hard.
- Do not rush or push past an older person walking slowly, because they might fall if pushed or startled.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «startle» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.