This is the 2907th most frequent German word.
überraschte
"Überraschte" means "surprised" in English.
Here, "überraschte" is used as a verb in the past tense, indicating an action (to surprise) performed by the subject, Anna, onto the object, her friends.
Anna überraschte ihre Freunde mit einer Party.
Anna surprised her friends with a party.
In this sentence, "überraschte" is used as a verb in the past tense, showing that the subject of the sentence (the news) caused surprise to the object (him).
Die Nachricht überraschte ihn sehr.
The news surprised him greatly.
Here, the word "überraschte" appears to be mistakenly used where a different form or word would fit better (e.g., "überrascht"). However, if taken in its incorrect form, it still conveys a sense of surprise.