STARTLE

startle

Noun

  1. A sudden motion or shock caused by an unexpected alarm, surprise, or apprehension of danger.

Verb

  1. To move suddenly, or be excited, on feeling alarm; to start.
    a horse that startles easily
  2. To excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension; to frighten suddenly and not seriously; to alarm; to surprise.
  3. To deter; to cause to deviate.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: startle
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

Need help with a clue?
Try your search in the crossword dictionary!