Unbelievable: English Vocabulary List

to find it difficult to believe what one has seen or heard

"I could not believe my ears when I heard the news."

"I could not believe my ears when my boss told me that I had been promoted to senior manager."

the act of quickly looking at something or someone twice, usually due to surprise, confusion, or disbelief

"The strange noise makes him do a double take."

"She did a double take when she saw her ex boyfriend sitting in the waiting room."

to prepare oneself for an event or situation that is expected to be exciting, intense, or unpredictable

"Hold on to your hat, this is going to be fast."

"Hold on to your hat because the roller coaster is about to start moving very fast now."

temporarily unable to think of what to say or how to express oneself, often due to shock, surprise, or intense emotion

"I was lost for words when I saw her."

"When she saw the beautiful ring she was completely lost for words and could not speak."

to cause surprise, curiosity, or mild shock among people due to something unconventional, unexpected, or controversial

"His actions raised eyebrows."

"The CEO's sudden resignation without explanation was enough to raise many eyebrows throughout the entire company."

news or an event that causes a great surprise

"The announcement came like a bolt out of the blue."

"The news that the company was closing came as a bolt from the blue because nobody suspected anything was wrong."

to survive or endure until a particular moment or event occurs, especially one that was uncertain, significant, or eagerly anticipated

"I never thought I would live to see the day."

"I never thought I would live to see the day when my son finally cleaned his room without being asked."

to be extremely surprised or shocked, causing one's mouth to open wide in astonishment

"The news almost made me drop my teeth."

"The old man dropped his teeth when he heard how much the repairs to his car were going to cost."

to cause a person to become very shocked, amazed, or confused

"The news knocked me down completely."

"When she announced she was quitting her stable job, it would have knocked anyone down with a feather."

used to say one is unable to say anything due to being extremely surprised, angry, or shocked

"I have no words — words fail me."

"When she saw the state of the accounts, words failed her — the losses were far beyond anything she had imagined."

to suddenly stop moving or doing something due to being extremely surprised, frightened, or impressed

"The deer stopped dead in its tracks."

"The beautiful sunset stopped me dead in my tracks and I could not look away from it."