30 Idioms and Expressions about Surprise in English

30 Idioms about Surprise in English

Hello English learners! In this lesson, you will learn 30 idioms and expressions about surprise in English, together with their meanings, usage notes and natural examples.

Have you ever heard some news that knocked you for six? Perhaps somebody asked you an unexpected question and caught you off guard. Or maybe you saw something so impressive that it completely blew you away.

English has plenty of colourful idioms and expressions for describing surprise, shock, amazement and unexpected events. Some describe pleasant surprises, while others are used when something frightens, shocks or catches us completely unprepared.

Many of these expressions are particularly useful for B2–C1 English learners, especially for improving speaking, informal writing, articles and stories. However, some are quite informal, so pay attention to the usage notes.

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Idioms for Pleasant Surprise and Amazement

1. Blow someone away

Meaning: to impress or amaze someone greatly.

• We were blown away by the views from the top of the mountain.

Usage: Informal and very common in spoken English.

2. Knock someone’s socks off

Meaning: to impress or surprise someone very strongly.

• The final scene of the film really knocked my socks off.

Usage: Informal and often used for positive surprises.

3. Take someone’s breath away

Meaning: to amaze someone because something is extremely beautiful or impressive.

• The view across the valley took my breath away.

This expression is especially common when talking about beauty, scenery or impressive performances.

4. Beyond your wildest dreams

Meaning: much better or more successful than you ever imagined possible.

• Winning the competition was beyond my wildest dreams.

5. Leave someone open-mouthed

Meaning: to make someone extremely surprised or amazed.

• His final magic trick left the audience open-mouthed.

6. Make someone’s jaw drop

Meaning: to make someone extremely surprised or impressed.

• The price of the apartment made my jaw drop.

You can also describe something as jaw-dropping:

• The hotel has jaw-dropping views of the sea.

7. Blow someone’s mind

Meaning: to amaze or surprise someone very strongly.

• The technology completely blew my mind when I first saw it.

Usage: Very informal. Best suited to conversation and informal writing.

8. Can’t get over something

Meaning: to continue feeling surprised or amazed by something.

• I can’t get over how much the children have grown.

This is extremely common in everyday spoken English.

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Idioms for Shock and Fright

9. Jump out of your skin

Meaning: to be suddenly and badly frightened or startled.

• She jumped out of her skin when somebody knocked on the window.

10. Take someone aback

Meaning: to surprise or shock someone, especially because something was unexpected.

• She seemed taken aback when I asked her the question.

Notice that this expression is very commonly used in the passive:

be taken aback by something

11. Knock someone sideways

Meaning: to shock or surprise someone very strongly.

• I was knocked sideways by her sudden announcement.

Usage: Informal.

12. Knock someone for six

Meaning: to shock or upset someone badly.

• The news of her resignation knocked us all for six.

Usage: Mainly British English. The expression comes from cricket, where hitting the ball for six is a powerful shot.

13. Make your hair stand on end

Meaning: to frighten or horrify you.

• The sound coming from the attic made my hair stand on end.

This expression usually describes fear or horror, rather than ordinary surprise.

14. Stop someone in their tracks

Meaning: to make someone suddenly stop because they are shocked, surprised or impressed.

• Her question stopped him in his tracks.

15. Get the shock of your life

Meaning: to experience an extremely strong and unexpected shock.

• I got the shock of my life when I saw someone standing outside the window.

Usage: Informal and often slightly exaggerated.

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Want to Learn More Everyday English Idioms?

If you enjoy learning expressions such as out of the blue, blow someone away and catch someone off guard, you may also like my Everyday Idioms ebook.

It contains useful idioms for everyday situations, with clear explanations and natural examples to help you understand them and use them with confidence.

Expressions for Unexpected News and Events

16. Out of the blue

Meaning: suddenly and completely unexpectedly.

• Out of the blue, I received an offer for a new job.

This is one of the most useful expressions for talking about unexpected events.

17. Like a bolt from the blue

Meaning: completely unexpected and often shocking.

• The announcement was a bolt from the blue for everyone.

Compare:

out of the blue = unexpectedly

a bolt from the blue = an unexpected and often shocking event

18. Drop a bombshell

Meaning: to suddenly announce surprising or shocking news.

• She dropped a bombshell when she announced that she was leaving the company.

Usage: Informal and often used for important or dramatic news.

19. Spring something on someone

Meaning: to tell someone something unexpectedly, usually without giving them time to prepare.

• Don’t spring another meeting on me at the last minute.

The usual structure is:

spring something on someone

20. Catch someone off guard

Meaning: to surprise someone when they are not prepared.

• The sudden change in the schedule caught everyone off guard.

This expression is useful in both spoken and written English.

21. Take someone by surprise

Meaning: to surprise someone because something happens unexpectedly.

• The sudden storm took us by surprise.

22. Catch someone unawares

Meaning: to surprise someone when they are not expecting anything to happen.

• The sudden rain caught us unawares.

Usage: Slightly more formal than catch someone off guard.

23. Come out of nowhere

Meaning: to appear or happen very suddenly and unexpectedly.

• The cyclist seemed to come out of nowhere.

Usage: Common in everyday English.

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Expressions for Reacting to Surprise

24. Do a double take

Meaning: to look at something again because you are surprised by what you have seen.

• I did a double take when I saw how different he looked.

25. You could have knocked me down with a feather

Meaning: used to say that you were extremely surprised.

• When he told me he was getting married, you could have knocked me down with a feather.

Usage: Informal, humorous and slightly old-fashioned, but still recognisable in British English.

26. Raise eyebrows

Meaning: to cause surprise, disapproval or curiosity.

• His decision to leave such a successful career raised a few eyebrows.

This expression often suggests that people find something unusual, controversial or inappropriate.

27. Can’t believe your eyes

Meaning: to be extremely surprised by something you see.

• I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the garden.
• When the bill arrived, we couldn’t believe our eyes.

28. Can’t believe your ears

Meaning: to be extremely surprised by something you hear.

• I couldn’t believe my ears when she said she had won.

29. What a turn-up for the books!

Meaning: used when something happens that is very surprising or unexpected.

• He’s usually late, but today he arrived first. What a turn-up for the books!

Usage: Mainly British English and rather informal. It can sound slightly old-fashioned, which is part of its charm.

30. Come as a shock

Meaning: to be unexpected and upsetting or surprising.

• His decision to retire came as quite a shock to his colleagues.

A common structure is:

Something comes as a shock to someone.

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Formal or Informal?

Many idioms about surprise are more suitable for conversation, stories, articles and informal emails than formal academic writing.

For example:

Informal:

• The news completely blew me away.
• The announcement knocked me for six.

More neutral:

• I was extremely surprised by the news.
• The announcement came as a shock.
• We were taken aback by the decision.

This distinction is particularly important if you are preparing for B2 First or C1 Advanced, where your choice of vocabulary should match the type of writing task.

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Quick Practice

Complete the sentences with a suitable expression from the lesson.

1. I hadn’t heard from Mark for years, so his phone call came completely __________.
2. The explosion was so loud that I nearly __________.
3. When I saw how much the tickets cost, I couldn’t __________.
4. His unexpected question really caught me __________.
5. The view from the hotel balcony absolutely __________.
6. Her announcement that she was leaving the company came as __________.
7. When I saw my old teacher on television, I had to __________.
8. The decision to cancel the event __________ among local residents.
9. Losing the competition really knocked him __________.
10. The success of her first novel was beyond her __________.

Answers 1. out of the blue, 2. jumped out of my skin, 3. believe my eyes, 4. off guard, 5. took my breath away / blew me away, 6. a shock, 7. do a double take, 8. raised eyebrows, 9. for six, 10. wildest dreams

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Final Tip

Idioms are easier to remember when you learn them in situations rather than as isolated vocabulary.

Instead of memorising:

out of the blue = unexpectedly

try learning a complete sentence:

An old friend contacted me out of the blue last week.

And rather than trying to use all 30 expressions immediately, choose five or six that you particularly like and practise using them in your own sentences.

The next time something surprises you, instead of simply saying “I was very surprised”, you might say:

“I was completely taken aback.”

Or, if the surprise was particularly impressive:

“It absolutely blew me away!”

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• 50 Idioms and Phrases Used in Daily Life 
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