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Showing results for all of a sudden. Search instead for of+a+sudden.
Synonyms

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.

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.

What’s gotten into Congress all of a sudden?

From Slate • Apr. 23, 2026

“It’s like taking a piece of fabric and pulling it and all of a sudden everything starts to unfold,” Chinitz said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

"And I noticed that all of a sudden everything went really quiet," he said.

From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2026

In the full video, Woods appears calm, kneeling on one knee as he tells officers: "I looked down at my phone, and all of a sudden, boom."

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

You’re not sure exactly what happened, but all of a sudden you truly are gone from this world.

From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan

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.