all of a sudden

Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

all of a sudden

“Everything all of a sudden just changed,” Ortiz said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

"I was traveling home by train," recalls Passaleva, "and all of a sudden I was rushing against time to commandeer one of the largest telescopes in the world from my laptop."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026

"Spurs are dominant, chances, and you felt the tension growing - all of a sudden Spurs were just wanting to get to half-time. Once you defend with anxiety, things happen," Cole told TNT.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

“I said something,” she told me, describing an incident from early in her tenure at the workplace retirement, benefits and insurance provider, “and all of a sudden a 25-page deck came back.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

I’d be tending my herb garden, clipping sprigs of fragrant leaves or replanting tender roots, then all of a sudden, a single tear would fall down my face without my awareness, surprising me.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

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Related Words

• precipitously
• suddenly
• unexpectedly

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