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

"And all of a sudden, you have to rethink everything," she added.

From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026

The reason you’re a little queasy about being 90%-plus in equities all of a sudden is because your risk tolerance naturally tends to shift as you age.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

In the podcast, Applegate said that "all of a sudden, a few years ago", her doctor suggested ending her infusion treatment for MS to see how her body reacted.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

However, I want to make sure my head doesn’t get too big and talk about things, and all of a sudden I think I’m the expert on these topics now.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Which is why, when all of a sudden we leaped forward onto the black metal rail and zoomed toward the ground miles below, I screamed at the top of my lungs.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

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Related Words

• precipitously
• suddenly
• unexpectedly

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