before you know it
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But before you know it, they’ve taken over your yard.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
It's a familiar pattern for many -- open your phone on a break and before you know it an hour has passed and you're still scrolling.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
You invest that $650, let it compound over time, and before you know it, you’re a multimillionaire retiring by 60.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 21, 2026
"Because if you are indifferent, before you know it, another Auschwitz will come out of the blue for you or your descendants," he warned.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2025
“Listen, Sophia. I just need a little time to think. I’ll be back before you know it, and then we’ll work everything out.”
From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English
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.
