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Showing results for all of a sudden. Search instead for of+a+sudden.
Synonyms

all of a sudden

Idioms  

  1. 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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

What’s gotten into Congress all of a sudden?

From Slate • Apr. 23, 2026

"And I noticed that all of a sudden everything went really quiet," he said.

From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2026

And later "why am I sweating so much all of a sudden".

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

“It sucks when Sunday morning chocolate chip pancakes for the kiddos all of a sudden ends up in the ‘discretionary spending’ category of the budget.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

And all of a sudden I know exactly what I’m going to write for Mr. Van Deusen.

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

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.