startle

UK: /ˈstɑː^rt^əl/ US: /ˈstɑrtəl/ ,(stär′tl)

Inflections of 'startle' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

startles

v 3rd person singular

startling

v pres p

startled

v past

startled

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

star•tle /ˈstɑrtəl/   v. [~ + object] , -tled, -tling. 

1. to disturb suddenly as by surprise:
   You startled me when you slammed the door so loudly.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

star•tle  (stär′tl), v., -tled, -tling, n. 
v.t. 

1. to disturb or agitate suddenly as by surprise or alarm.
2. to cause to start involuntarily, by or as by a sudden shock.

v.i. 

3. to start involuntarily, as from a shock of surprise or alarm.

n. 

4. a sudden shock of surprise, alarm, or the like.
5. something that startles.

• Middle English stertlen to rush, caper, equivalent. to stert(en) to start + -(e)len -le, or continuing Old English steartlian to kick, struggle bef. 1100

star′tle•ment, n. 
star′tler, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. scare, frighten, astonish. See shock ¹.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

startle / ˈstɑːt^əl/ verb

1. to be or cause to be surprised or frightened, esp so as to start involuntarily

Etymology: Old English steartlian to stumble; related to Middle High German starzen to strut, Norwegian sterta to strain oneself