unannounced
Britishadjective
Explanation
Anything unannounced is a total surprise. If your neighbor frequently barges into your house unannounced, especially in the middle of dinner, you might want to start locking your doors. When an organization doesn't make a formal statement before doing something, it's often described as unannounced, like the unannounced change in the ingredients of your favorite soda or the unannounced delay of your flight to Hawaii. You can talk about anything unexpected using this adjective: "Their unannounced marriage ceremony took everyone at the picnic by surprise."
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.
An extra 3,000 unannounced nursery inspections will take place a year in England from September - with checks on safe-sleep practices for young children included for the first time.
From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026
When FDA inspectors showed up unannounced at the farm, it complied with an investigation.
From Salon • Jun. 22, 2026
Over the weekend border czar Tom Homan went to the facility on an unannounced visit to see for himself.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
Angelenos enjoyed a special unannounced guest, Aimee Mann, who re-created her ethereal backup vocals on 1987’s “Time Stand Still,” Rush’s finest balance of song craft and chops.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
Quite what Halley expected to get from him when he made his unannounced visit in August 1684 we can only guess.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
