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.
They've not just suddenly fallen off a cliff, they've been struggling in the league for a while.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
According to the researchers, the controversy sparked by the findings reported last November was caused by a misunderstanding in the analysis rather than evidence that scientists' basic picture of the universe had suddenly broken down.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
"Then there was fog, smoke, something that seemed to suddenly engulf us," Muthunathan, 46, told AFP, showing a video she recorded on her phone of a torrent surging towards her.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
By Friday afternoon, Ledsworth said the long-ignored property was suddenly abuzz.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
“Oh, a lot happened, a whole lifetime of happenings. But I think I shall keep it short. I am suddenly rather tired. And you must be too. Well, here is how the story ends…”
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
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.
