all at once
Idioms-
All at the same time, as in We can't get inside all at once, so please wait your turn . [Late 1300s]
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Suddenly, unexpectedly, as in All at once the sky darkened . For a synonym, see all of a sudden .
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.
Where long-simmered soups deepen gradually, these come alive all at once.
From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026
Like prey worn down by a persistent predator, participants don’t collapse all at once; they give up gradually until the fight leaves the market altogether.
From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026
This 12.5 foot-tall terracotta figure embodies various kinds of religious iconography all at once, from a Vishnu-like chest to a Christ-like beard.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
Said Puth in our interview as a video crew prepped for a shoot: “There’s never been so many things happening all at once for me.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
Most earthquakes occur when sections of the earth’s crust far below the surface rub up against one another, get stuck, and then jerk free all at once.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
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.
