startle

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• UK: /ˈstɑːt(ə)l/
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• US: /ˈstɑɹt(ə)l/
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• rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)təl
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• Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• CMU ARPABET: S T AA1 R T AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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From Middle English startlen, stertlen, stertyllen (“to rush, stumble along”), from Old English steartlian (“to kick with the foot, struggle, stumble”), equivalent to start + -le. Cognate with Old Norse stirtla (“to hobble, stagger”), Icelandic stirtla (“to straighten up, erect”). Compare also Middle English stertil (“hasty”). More at start.

91 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Bulgarian: уплаха (uplaha) — a sudden motion or shock
• Bulgarian: шок (šok) — a sudden motion or shock
• Czech: leknutí — a sudden motion or shock
• Finnish: hätkähdys — a sudden motion or shock
• Central Kurdish: ڕاچەنین (raçenîn) — a sudden motion or shock
• Russian: испуг (ispug) — a sudden motion or shock
• Spanish: sobresalto — a sudden motion or shock
• Bulgarian: стряскам се (strjaskam se) — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Bulgarian: се́пвам се (sépvam se) — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Bulgarian: се́пна се (sépna se) — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Catalan: espantar-se — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Czech: leknout se — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Czech: polekat se — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Dutch: schrikken — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Finnish: hätkähtää — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Finnish: kavahtaa — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Finnish: säikähtää — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• French: sursauter — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• German: aufschrecken — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• German: scheuen — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Hebrew: הִזְדַּעֲזַע (hizda'zá') — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Italian: scattare — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Italian: sobbalzare — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Central Kurdish: داچڵەکاندن (daçllekandin) — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Māori: ohomauri — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Māori: whakapererū — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Māori: tumeke — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Oromo: wareeruu — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Russian: встрепенуться (vstrepenutʹsja) — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Spanish: sobresaltarse — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Spanish: alarmarse — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Spanish: espantarse — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Spanish: pajarear — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Spanish: asustarse — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Spanish: sobrecogerse — to move or be excited on feeling alarm
• Arabic: فَاجَأَ (fājaʔa) — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Arabic: بَاغَثَ (bāḡaṯa) — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Bulgarian: плаша (plaša) — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Bulgarian: сепвам (sepvam) — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Bulgarian: сепна (sepna) — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Bulgarian: стря́скам (strjáskam) — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Catalan: espantar — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Chinese Mandarin: 嚇了一跳 /吓了一跳 (xià le yí tiào) — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Czech: vylekat — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Czech: polekat — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Dutch: laten schrikken — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Dutch: verschrikken — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Esperanto: konsterni — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Esperanto: alarmi — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Finnish: säikäyttää — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Finnish: hätkäyttää — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• French: surprendre — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• German: erschrecken — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Greek: ξαφνιάζω (xafniázo) — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Greek: αιφνιδιάζω (aifnidiázo) — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Hebrew: הבהיל (hevhil) — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Italian: spaventare — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Italian: sorprendere — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Japanese: 脅かす (odokasu) — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Ladino: aturvar — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Latin: consternō — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Latin: pavefaciō — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Māori: whakapereru — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Portuguese: assustar — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Portuguese: dar um susto — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Russian: пуга́ть (pugátʹ) — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Russian: испуга́ть (ispugátʹ) — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Russian: напуга́ть (napugátʹ) — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Spanish: sobresaltar — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Spanish: espantar — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Spanish: alarmar — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Spanish: asustar — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Spanish: sobrecoger — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Spanish: aspaventar — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Swedish: spritta — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Thai: ความตกใจ (kwaam dtòk jai) — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Ukrainian: зляка́ти (zljakáty) — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Vietnamese: làm giật mình — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Vietnamese: làm hoảng hốt — to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension
• Bulgarian: изплашвам (izplašvam) — to deter; to cause to deviate
• Bulgarian: изплаша (izplaša) — to deter; to cause to deviate
• Bulgarian: уплашвам (uplašvam) — to deter; to cause to deviate
• Bulgarian: уплаша (uplaša) — to deter; to cause to deviate
• Czech: odstrašit — to deter; to cause to deviate
• Czech: zastrašit — to deter; to cause to deviate
• Finnish: harhauttaa — to deter; to cause to deviate
• Italian: schivare — to deter; to cause to deviate
• Italian: evitare — to deter; to cause to deviate
• Latin: terreō — to deter; to cause to deviate
• Spanish: evitar — to deter; to cause to deviate
• Spanish: impedir — to deter; to cause to deviate