2 → see also surprise SYNONYMS surprising ADJ
amazing: It's amazing what we can remember with a little prompting.
astonishing: …an astonishing display of physical strength.
incredible: It seemed incredible that people would play football during a war.
sur|re|al /səriː əl/ ADJ If you describe something as surreal , you mean that the elements in it are combined in a strange way that you would not normally expect, like in a dream. □ 'Performance' is undoubtedly one of the most surreal movies ever made.
sur|re|al|ism /səriː əl I zəm/ N‑UNCOUNT Surrealism is a style in art and literature in which ideas, images, and objects are combined in a strange way, like in a dream.
sur|re|al|ist /səriː əl I st/ (surrealists )
1 ADJ Surrealist means related to or in the style of surrealism. □ Dali's shoe hat was undoubtedly the most surrealist idea he ever worked on with Schiaparelli.
2 N‑COUNT A surrealist is an artist or writer whose work is based on the ideas of surrealism.
sur|re|al|is|tic /səriː əl I st I k/
1 ADJ Surrealistic means the same as surreal . □ …the surrealistic way the movie plays with time.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Surrealistic means related to or in the style of surrealism. □ …Man Ray's surrealistic study of a woman's face with glass teardrops.
sur|ren|der ◆◇◇ /səre ndə r / (surrenders , surrendering , surrendered )
1 VERB If you surrender , you stop fighting or resisting someone and agree that you have been beaten. □ [V ] He called on the rebels to surrender. □ [V + to ] She surrendered to the police in London last December. ● N‑VAR Surrender is also a noun. □ [+ to ] …the government's apparent surrender to demands made by the religious militants.
2 VERB If you surrender something you would rather keep, you give it up or let someone else have it, for example after a struggle. □ [V n] Nadja had to fill out forms surrendering all rights to her property. ● N‑UNCOUNT Surrender is also a noun. □ [+ of ] …the sixteen-day deadline for the surrender of weapons and ammunition.
3 VERB If you surrender something such as a ticket or your passport, you give it to someone in authority when they ask you to. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] They have been ordered to surrender their passports.
sur|re n|der value (surrender values ) N‑COUNT The surrender value of a life insurance policy is the amount of money you receive if you decide that you no longer wish to continue with the policy. [BUSINESS ]
sur|rep|ti|tious /sʌ rəpt I ʃəs, [AM ] sɜː r-/ ADJ A surreptitious action is done secretly. □ He made a surreptitious entrance to the club through the little door in the brick wall. ● sur|rep|ti|tious|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ Surreptitiously Mark looked at his watch.
sur|ro|ga|cy /sʌ rəgəsi, [AM ] sɜː r-/ N‑UNCOUNT Surrogacy is an arrangement by which a woman gives birth to a baby on behalf of a woman who is physically unable to have babies herself, and then gives the baby to her. □ In this country it is illegal to pay for surrogacy.
sur|ro|gate /sʌ rəge I t, [AM ] sɜː r-/ (surrogates ) ADJ [ADJ n] You use surrogate to describe a person or thing that is given a particular role because the person or thing that should have the role is not available. □ Martin had become Howard Cosell's surrogate son. ● N‑COUNT Surrogate is also a noun. □ Arms control should not be made into a surrogate for peace.
su r|ro|gate mo th|er (surrogate mothers ) N‑COUNT A surrogate mother is a woman who has agreed to give birth to a baby on behalf of another woman.
sur|round ◆◆◇ /səraʊ nd/ (surrounds , surrounding , surrounded )
1 VERB If a person or thing is surrounded by something, that thing is situated all around them. □ [be V -ed] The small churchyard was surrounded by a rusted wrought-iron fence. □ [V n] The shell surrounding the egg has many important functions. □ [V -ing] …the snipers and artillerymen in the surrounding hills.
2 VERB If you are surrounded by soldiers or police, they spread out so that they are in positions all the way around you. □ [be V -ed] When the car stopped in the town square it was surrounded by soldiers and militiamen. □ [V -ed] He tried to run away but gave up when he found himself surrounded.
3 VERB The circumstances, feelings, or ideas which surround something are those that are closely associated with it. □ [V n] The decision had been agreed in principle, but some controversy surrounded it.
4 VERB If you surround yourself with certain people or things, you make sure that you have a lot of them near you all the time. □ [V n + with/by ] He surrounded himself with a hand-picked group of bright young officers. □ [be V -ed + with/by ] They love being surrounded by familiar possessions.
sur|round|ings /səraʊ nd I ŋz/ N‑PLURAL [oft poss N ] When you are describing the place where you are at the moment, or the place where you live, you can refer to it as your surroundings . □ Schumacher adapted effortlessly to his new surroundings.
sur|tax /sɜː r tæks/ N‑UNCOUNT Surtax is an additional tax on incomes higher than the level at which ordinary tax is paid. [BUSINESS ] □ …a surtax on holiday home sales.