all of a sudden

Idioms and Phrases

Entirely without warning, abruptly, as in All of a sudden the lights went out . In Shakespeare's day the common phrase was of a sudden , the word all being added in the late 1600s. Also see all at once , def. 2.

Example Sentences

“But are you, all of a sudden, going to go out and try to arrest 13 to 15 million people? That’s a resource issue, and it’s probably not feasible.”

From Los Angeles Times

"There's a burden taken off me off my chest and all of a sudden I felt like now - this is home, this is home," she said.

From BBC

"Consultations have been a lot longer than normal, and it is bizarre when you are talking about a rash and then all of a sudden you are talking about Strictly," she continued.

From BBC

And then all of a sudden he's in office, and he doesn't let it go.

From Salon

“If you don’t find him, he can all of a sudden make three threes and the game has changed.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abruptly
• quickly
• swiftly