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 turned the corner and all of a sudden the fire was there, there were two coaches of people evacuating too," said Cheytan.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 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

It is odd that, all of a sudden, they’re worried about decorum.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

La Guaira resident Antonio Bermudez was in his living room when the shaking began "all of a sudden."

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

I take my turn at the water fountain, wondering why he would be nice all of a sudden.

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée

Related Words

• precipitously
• suddenly
• unexpectedly