all of a sudden


Entirely without warning, abruptly, as in All of a sudden the lights went out. In Shakespeare's day the common phrase was of a sudden, the word all being added in the late 1600s. Also see all at once, def. 2.

Words Nearby all of a sudden

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

How to use all of a sudden in a sentence

  • All-of-a-sudden Jehosophat felt very funny near the pit of his stomach.

    Seven O'Clock Stories | Robert Gordon Anderson
  • It was a new, all-of-a-sudden gray, and in less than a week—so Margaret once told me—bleaching its brown gold to silver.

    The Little Gray Lady | F. Hopkinson Smith
  • And Marmaduke liked all-of-a-sudden things to happen--they were so exciting.

    Half-Past Seven Stories | Robert Gordon Anderson
  • And all-of-a-sudden Fatty let go of his coat, and Jehosophat found himself on his feet and on his way to the platform.

    Half-Past Seven Stories | Robert Gordon Anderson
  • Then all-of-a-sudden, from somewhere above them on the outside of the Earth, they heard a great roar.

    Half-Past Seven Stories | Robert Gordon Anderson