startle
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It triggers an automatic "startle response" to any loud noise.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
His lyrics also startle the way poems do.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025
But when she sees another dog, everything changes: she snarls, barks loud enough to startle a city block, and lunges with so much force it takes all my strength to hold her back.
From Salon • Aug. 18, 2025
For these L.A. gigs, she has the Breeders, the great veteran alt-rock band whose 1993 classic “Last Splash” can still startle you with its off-kilter intensity.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 14, 2024
At the last and greatest thunderbolt every man startled involuntarily, and each saw the other startle, until they laughed away their shame.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Vocabulary lists containing startle
"All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury
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The Circuit
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 5
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