of a sudden

all of a sudden

Unexpectedly and abruptly; suddenly. I was startled when the fire alarm went off all of a sudden. I thought Laura and I were friends, but all of a sudden, she stopped talking to me. The liquid in the vial is supposed to be clear, so why is it cloudy all of a sudden?

See also: all, of, sudden

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

(all) of a sudden

suddenly.

As a noun sudden is now found only in this phrase, but from the mid 16th century to the early 18th century it was in regular use in the sense ‘an unexpected danger or emergency’.

See also: of, sudden

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017