surprised by vs surprised about

Both 'surprised by' and 'surprised about' are commonly used in English, but they are used in slightly different contexts. 'Surprised by' is used when the cause of the surprise is a person or thing, while 'surprised about' is used when the surprise is related to a situation or event.

Last updated: April 14, 2024 • 222 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"surprised by"

Use 'surprised by' when you want to express that the cause of the surprise is a person or thing. For example, 'I was surprised by his sudden appearance.'

Examples:

She was surprised by the news.
He was surprised by the gift.
They were surprised by the results.
I was surprised by her reaction.
The children were surprised by the magician's tricks.

Show examples from the web [+]

Mar 20, 2023 ... In the Metamorphoses, the Roman author Ovid tells the story of how the lovers Venus and Mars were surprised by Venus's husband, Vulcan.
Aug 16, 2021 ... Biden team surprised by rapid Taliban gains in Afghanistan ... WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and other top U.S. officials were stunned on ...
May 6, 2023 ... Warren Buffett says Berkshire managers were surprised by economic slowdown, earnings to decline. Published Sat, May 6 20233:30 PM EDT ...

Alternatives:

taken aback by
shocked by
astonished by
caught off guard by
startled by

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"surprised about"

Use 'surprised about' when you want to express that the surprise is related to a situation or event. For example, 'She was surprised about the outcome of the game.'

Examples:

I was surprised about the news.
She was surprised about the decision.
He was surprised about the change.
They were surprised about the delay.
We were surprised about the results.

Show examples from the web [+]

Q4: Do you have any comment on the usage of “surprised about?” Q5: Does what I noticed mean that “surprised about” is a less formal expression, ...
Douglas Adams — 'There's no point in acting surprised about it. All the planning charts and demolition orders have been on display at your local planning...
Mar 27, 2023 ... US Rep Gonzales not surprised about recent incidents involving migrants found trapped in train cars along Highway 90.

Alternatives:

taken aback by
shocked by
astonished by
caught off guard by
startled by

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surprised by vs surprised about

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