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

“I see there is a lot of experts all of a sudden that wanted to retire me or have retired me many times the last couple of years,” he said after beating Sinner.

From The Wall Street Journal

It doesn't mean that all of a sudden they're out of my thoughts at all.

From Barron's

"They get the job, and all of a sudden, 'Let's raise rates a little bit,'" he added.

From Barron's

I don’t know why I feel so angry all of a sudden, but I do.

From Literature

“You could be a billionaire today, and then the market plummets, and now all of a sudden, you’re a pauper,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• precipitously
• suddenly
• unexpectedly