catch unawares
Take by surprise
To catch someone unawares is to surprise them when they're unprepared or not paying attention: The question caught me unawares.
The phrase suggests being mentally or physically off guard—not expecting what comes.
It can describe ambushes, sudden news, or any situation where someone is taken by surprise: The storm caught the hikers unawares.
- surpriseUnexpected event causing astonishment
- take by surpriseAttack without warning
- ambushSurprise strike from concealment
- startleFrighten suddenly
- blindsideSurprise with unexpected force
sneak attack · shock · drop a bombshell · pounce · trap · sneak · lying in wait · jolt · stun · waylay · bushwhack · sucker punch · spring · unprepared · off-guard · unsuspecting · blind spot · lurk
catch unawaresforewarn
Alert in advance
tip off · anticipate · expect · see coming · alert
catch unawarestelegraph
Electrical message system
give notice · advertise · presage · foreshadow · herald
catch, catches, catching, caught, catcher, catchers, catchable, unaware, aware