INDEX:
1. suddenly
2. something that happens suddenly
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ SURPRISED/SURPRISING
↑ FAST
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1. suddenly
▷ suddenly /ˈsʌdnli/ [adverb]
if something happens suddenly, it happens quickly when you are not expecting it :
▪ Suddenly there was a loud bang and all the lights went out.
▪ I suddenly realized that there was someone following me.
die suddenly
die unexpectedly
▪ Several years ago her husband died suddenly at the age of 64.
▷ all of a sudden /ˌɔːl əv ə ˈsʌdn/ [adverb]
suddenly - use this especially in stories or descriptions of past events :
▪ We waited and waited, then all of a sudden we saw a sail on the horizon.
▪ The way he decided to leave all of a sudden didn’t make any sense.
▷ out of the blue /ˌaʊt əv ðə ˈbluː/ [adverb]
if something happens out of the blue, you are not expecting it at all, and you are very surprised by it :
▪ She told me, out of the blue, that she was going to live in New York.
completely out of the blue
▪ Do you remember Jane? Well, she phoned me yesterday, completely out of the blue.
▷ abruptly /əˈbrʌptli/ [adverb]
if something ends or if someone moves or speaks abruptly, they do it suddenly and unexpectedly :
▪ The party was stopped abruptly when the police turned up.
▪ She turned abruptly and went back inside.
▪ ‘You may leave now,’ he said, abruptly.
▷ without warning /wɪðˌaʊt ˈwɔːʳnɪŋ/ [adverb]
if something bad or dangerous happens without warning, it happens suddenly and there were no signs that it was going to happen :
▪ Without warning, tears began to roll down his cheeks.
▪ At five to four Greg went into convulsions. It happened suddenly and without warning.
▷ on the spur of the moment /ɒn ðə ˌspɜːr əv ðə ˈməʊmənt/ [adverb]
if you do something on the spur of the moment, you suddenly decide to do something that you had not planned to do :
▪ I bought the car on the spur of the moment.
▪ On the spur of the moment, we decided to head north that day instead of East.
spur-of-the-moment [adjective only before noun]
▪ It was a spur-of-the-moment decision.
▷ from out of nowhere /frəm ˌaʊt əv ˈnəʊweəʳ/ [adverb]
if you say that someone does something or something appears from out of nowhere, it happens suddenly so that you are surprised or shocked :
▪ From out of nowhere he asked me to marry him.
▪ I was doing 80 miles per hour when from out of nowhere this cop on a motorcycle pulled me over.
▷ at short notice /ət ˌʃɔːʳt ˈnəʊtə̇s/ [adverb]
if something happens at short notice, it happens suddenly without you having time to prepare for it :
▪ Both players pulled out of the competition yesterday at short notice.
▪ Occasionally, tours may have to be cancelled at short notice.
2. something that happens suddenly
▷ sudden /ˈsʌdn/ [adjective]
happening suddenly :
▪ I felt a sudden sharp pain in my stomach.
▪ Rebecca’s decision to leave was very sudden.
▪ Depression is sometimes brought on by a sudden change in your life.
▷ dramatic /drəˈmætɪk/ [adjective]
happening suddenly, and making a situation either much better or much worse :
▪ There has been a dramatic increase in homelessness over the past few years.
▪ the dramatic changes that took place in Eastern Europe
dramatically [adverb]
▪ Oil reserves have fallen dramatically since the war broke out.
▷ abrupt /əˈbrʌpt/ [adjective]
sudden, unexpected, and often unwanted :
abrupt end/departure/change etc
▪ The police brought the demonstration to an abrupt end.
▪ His departure was abrupt and completely unexpected.
▪ There has been an abrupt shift in the government thinking regarding these issues.
▷ snap /snæp/ [adjective only before noun]
snap decision/judgement
a decision or judgement that is made very suddenly, often without thinking about it enough :
▪ Snap decisions are not always the best decisions.
▪ Usually she did not make snap judgements about people.