all of a sudden

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See synonyms for all of a sudden on Thesaurus.com

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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby all of a sudden

allochthonous, allocution, allodial, allodium, all of, all of a sudden, all of the above, allogamy, allogeneic, allogenic, allograft

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

all of a sudden

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