out of the blue
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.
Mary Harris: Let’s talk about the lead-up to what’s happening now, because as you said in your reporting, this didn’t come out of the blue.
From Slate • Mar. 2, 2026
At first, the police had no idea what it was all about as Podedworna's email had come completely out of the blue.
From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026
The drop this week isn’t completely out of the blue.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026
But it isn’t a bolt out of the blue.
From Barron's • Dec. 22, 2025
After lunch, when the dishes had been cleared away and we were talking about nothing in particular, Julian asked, out of the blue, if I’d noticed anything peculiar about Bunny recently.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
