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

“Middle Americans, all of a sudden, they are going to start learning more about peptides,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

“You know, all of a sudden some 19-year-old with a Russian accent is showing interest in them, and they think they’re Brad Pitt.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Then all of a sudden I’d have been willing to swap this world for a better one because of the voice from behind me.

From Literature

It points to something deeper anchored in our collective consciousness and all of a sudden it bursts open.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Traders don’t want to get caught in a situation where, all of a sudden, the the president declares victory and the bombing ends, and then the market just shoots way higher,” Smith told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• precipitously
• suddenly
• unexpectedly