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à l'improviste

American  
[a lan-praw-veest] / a lɛ̃ prɔˈvist /

adverb

French.

  1. all of a sudden; unexpectedly; suddenly.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I have no right to dart in on you thus à l'improviste.

From Deadham Hard by Malet, Lucas

She laughed and said, "Do you wish me to unveil my soul, comme cela, à l'improviste?"

From In the Courts of Memory, 1858 1875; from Contemporary Letters by Hegermann-Lindencrone, L. de (Lillie de)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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