all at once
Idioms-
All at the same time, as in We can't get inside all at once, so please wait your turn . [Late 1300s]
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Suddenly, unexpectedly, as in All at once the sky darkened . For a synonym, see all of a sudden .
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.
You can’t flip a switch and apply the ABCs all at once.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
But it is unusual for so many commanders to file such notes all at once in the middle of a combat operation.
From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026
The film is fearless and fallible and fabulous all at once, designed to expand the consciousness and open the heart.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
"I felt sick. I couldn't control it. I just lost it. It hit me all at once," he says.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
“Oh, how glorious to be a postal worker!” she thought as she spread her treasures across the ottoman, so as to have the satisfaction of seeing them all at once.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
