How to Use startle in a Sentence
- I'm sorry that I startled you.
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She was startled by a knock at the door.
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Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
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At first, the banker is startled.
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Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
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The boy looked up mid-sob, startled.
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George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
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But what truly startled me was what came next.
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David Cavell,
Time,
6 Aug. 2025
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One twin calls the other and is startled by the sound of her own voice.
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Jean Garnett,
The New Yorker,
10 July 2023
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Both fans were loud enough at their medium speeds to startle my cats.
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Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
18 Apr. 2026
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Sisley isn’t a flashy painter — his work doesn’t grab or startle.
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Brian T. Allen,
National Review,
26 Feb. 2022
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The wolves will startle and retreat.
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Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
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The grenade won’t startle him, either.
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Jackson Arn,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
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Victor turned to her, startled.
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‘pemi Aguda,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
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The country wouldn’t startle you awake in the middle of the night.
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Monica Hesse,
Washington Post,
30 Dec. 2022
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Her voice startled me, both rough and smooth—like a bottle of whiskey set in front of a princess.
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Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
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Jamie, the dog-sitter, is startled that Pam is back so soon.
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Allegra Goodman,
New Yorker,
4 Jan. 2026
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Hauge called that startling, given that court filing fees alone cost just as much.
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Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
4 Jan. 2026
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Sleep may be disturbed by a pet's movements, and dogs may bite if startled.
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Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
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Again, no need to prove anything, or startle the crows on the wire outside my house.
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Josh Max,
Forbes,
16 June 2022
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Moments later, a clerk startled them, the teens said.
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Larry Seward,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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But don’t bolt or scream, as these actions can startle or agitate a bear.
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Laken Brooks,
Forbes,
3 Oct. 2021
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To his luck, the sound finally startled the bear and sent it running.
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Paloma Chavez,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
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Horner dropped a package, McGuire said, and was startled by the team.
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Amelia Mugavero,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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Okay, there are days in which that enthusiasm might startle the pros.
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Bernhard Warner,
Fortune,
9 June 2020
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Here, Edith no longer worried that the pop of gunshots would startle her awake.
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Freep.com,
18 Apr. 2021
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Rockefeller and Clark had known about some of this, but the scope startled them.
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WIRED,
23 Feb. 2023
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Littrell walked up to the man, who appeared to be startled by the singer's presence.
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Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2026
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Hyland said he’s been startled by how close the construction barges come to shore.
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Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
28 June 2026
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Loud noises, like a balloon popping, can startle or scare her.
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Monroe Trombly,
Louisville Courier Journal,
10 Sep. 2025
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Right then and there, Amanda walked through the door, startling the two women.
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Alexis Jones,
Peoplemag,
17 Apr. 2023
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Victor is startled by this, maybe even a bit impressed, but not enough to assuage his anger.
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Erik Kain,
Forbes,
7 May 2023
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Some cyclists sped by pretty quickly, startling us and our dog.
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Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
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When he was told the shot was in, his eyes opened with a startle, then fell toward the floor.
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Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
10 July 2023
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Oh, there are some startles and blood-curdling screams, but that’s mostly from the guests.
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Angela Hill,
The Mercury News,
21 Sep. 2019
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The wife, who’d been fixated on the cages, shook with a startle, as if waking from a dream.
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Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
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Henning and Muche let out a startle, however, when a beaver struck the bottom of their canoe.
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Paul A. Smith,
Journal Sentinel,
2 Oct. 2022
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Many of their primitive reflexes, such as sucking and the startle reflex, will remain at this age.
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New York Times,
18 Apr. 2020
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And by reducing wild startles, swaddling reduces night wakings.
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Anya Leon,
PEOPLE.com,
27 Feb. 2018
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For very small babies, swaddling the arms is effective at reducing their startle reflex—which can be disruptive to sleep.
—
Samson McDougall,
Parents,
8 Sep. 2023
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Common reasons include the startle (Moro) reflex, discomfort, gas or reflux and a need for closeness.
—
Jenni Fink,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
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Swaddling also helps prevent babies' natural startle reflex from waking them up, and having their arms held down keeps them from scratching themselves with their razor-sharp little newborn nails.
—
Jessica Hartshorn,
Good Housekeeping,
22 Feb. 2023
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Those penguins themselves had something of the startle of art — the reveal of the ever-present real that’s hidden, paradoxically, by information.
—
New York Times,
8 July 2020
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Vasas and her colleagues also captured the brief startle display of a black swallowtail caterpillar and saw for the first time that its hornlike defense appendages are UV-reflective.
—
Lauren Leffer,
Scientific American,
23 Jan. 2024
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And while Levins, 32, of Frankfort, acknowledged the animals may play into some people’s phobias, a startle can be the start of a conversation with one of Crosstown’s handlers.
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Bill Jones,
chicagotribune.com,
11 Oct. 2021
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Yet the combination of startle, confusion, at least nineteen warning and caution messages, inconsistent information, and lack of recent experience hand-flying the aircraft led the crew to enter a dangerous stall.
—
David Autor,
The Atlantic,
24 Aug. 2025
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By the early '90s, psychiatrists treating urban residents were diagnosing sleep disorders, extreme startle responses, flashbacks, lost hope for the future, homelessness, alcoholism, suicide and even biochemical changes in the brain.
—
John Schmid,
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel,
18 May 2018
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'startle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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