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

"We have to be careful in both ways. We don't want to restrict them where all of a sudden we come in second to China," he told reporters in the Oval Office last week.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

“And the next wave comes, the next wave comes, and all of a sudden you’re capsizing,” Elfers said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

“Ninety-five percent of the building, the structure is sound and intact…There is no way that this corner of a small extension all of a sudden topples this building.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

"I'd had a really bad day at work…and all of a sudden, all those worries just vanished. The only thing I was focused on was just being a dad," said Conor.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026

However, if you lower the frequency just a little bit beyond a critical threshold—making the light a wee bit too red—the sparking stops all of a sudden.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Related Words

• precipitously
• suddenly
• unexpectedly