Startle
21startle reaction — noun a complicated involuntary reaction to a sudden unexpected stimulus (especially a loud noise); involves flexion of most skeletal muscles and a variety of visceral reactions • Syn: ↑startle response • Hypernyms: ↑startle, ↑jump, ↑start * * *… …
22startle response — noun a complicated involuntary reaction to a sudden unexpected stimulus (especially a loud noise); involves flexion of most skeletal muscles and a variety of visceral reactions • Syn: ↑startle reaction • Hypernyms: ↑startle, ↑jump, ↑start * * *… …
23startle pattern — noun or startle reaction or startle response : the complex of psychophysiological changes that is elicited in an organism by an unexpected sudden stimulus (as a loud noise) and includes tremor, sweating, palpitation, dry mouth, and a feeling of… …
24startle reflex — noun a normal reflex of young infants; a sudden loud noise causes the child to stretch out the arms and flex the legs • Syn: ↑Moro reflex • Hypernyms: ↑startle, ↑jump, ↑start …
25startle — I. verb (startled; startling) Etymology: Middle English stertlen, frequentative of sterten to start Date: 1530 intransitive verb to move or jump suddenly (as in surprise or alarm) < the baby startles easily > transitive verb to frighten or… …
26startle — startlement, n. startler, n. /stahr tl/, v., startled, startling, 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… …
27startle — star·tle (stahrґtəl) [A.S. stertlen to run about] 1. to make a quick involuntary movement as in alarm, surprise, or fright. 2. to become alarmed, surprised, or frightened …
28startle — Synonyms and related words: affright, alarm, alert, amaze, arouse, astonish, astound, awe, awestrike, be startled, bedaze, bedazzle, bewilder, boggle, bolt, bowl down, bowl over, confound, cry havoc, cry wolf, curdle the blood, daze, dazzle,… …
29startle — v. (R) it startled me to see them dressed like that * * * [ stɑːtl] (R) it startled me to see them dressed like that …
30startle — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) v. t. start, alarm, frighten, shock, surprise, amaze. See surprise, doubt, fear. II (Roget s IV) v. Syn. alarm, shock, astonish, disturb, agitate; see also frighten 1 , surprise 2 . III (Roget s 3… …
