suddenly
Britishadverb
Explanation
If you're walking on a crowded street and you stop suddenly — abruptly and without warning — somebody walking behind you may bump into you. If you experience love at first sight, you've suddenly fallen in love. If you're driving at night and a deer jumps out in front of you, you might suddenly have to swerve to avoid it. Suddenly is the kind of adverb you might use a lot if you're describing the plot of an action movie, a mystery novel, or any story in which lots of unexpected things happen.
Vocabulary lists containing suddenly
A Need for Speed: Synonyms for "Fast"
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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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.
Stupnikov was sitting in the Mykilske command post one day in June when his commander suddenly threw up his arms in exasperation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
And why does it suddenly seem like celebrities everywhere are getting pregnant at older and older ages?
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
However, the results do not mean that bacteria are suddenly capable of consuming the enormous amounts of conventional plastic already accumulating in the environment.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
“You know,” he started, his voice suddenly louder than the ambient classic background rock playing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Then she noticed something else in her drawer, and her eyes brightened suddenly.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
