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Glite Dictionary
⏱️ At the same time ⚡ Suddenly
all at once

all at once

25 3.0
Happening suddenly and without warning
  • idiom
: de repente
  • Nobody wants it in particular and then, all at once, here it is.
  • Then, all at once
  • All at once, it seemed
  • All at once, I felt

When the joblessness hits, it'll hit fast, first slowly and then all at once.

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Examples

  • And all at once, we were revived.

    Jungle Cruise (2021)

  • I feel like all of the fear I've had hit me all at once, then faded away.

    Blog text (31)

  • It's wild; it's like the ocean taking back all at once everything it gave us.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • And all at once, millions of Americans had a new definition of home.

    Seabiscuit (2003)

  • All at once, the mist took full shape and I saw what appeared to be angels.

    Angels and Demons Are Real (2017)

  • As Moynihan sees it, the American decline into lawlessness did not happen all at once.

    Academic text (1991)

  • And all at once, I felt a heat pass through me.

  • And then all at once, the pain just hit me.

  • All at once, the mist took full shape and I saw what appeared to be angels.

Synonyms

suddenly
vsall at once
∞ 1.0

Quickly and without warning

emphasizes suddenness with many events happening together
immediately
vsall at once
∞ 1.0

At once without waiting

adds the sense of happening suddenly and without warning
right away
vsall at once
915 1.0

Without any delay

adds unexpectedness and the sense of all occurring together
of a sudden
vsall at once
  • Informal
743 7.1

Happens quickly and without warning

emphasizes both suddenness and lack of warning broadly
all of a sudden
vsall at once
  • Informal
737 2.7

Very quickly and without warning

stresses unexpectedness alongside quick timing
instantly
vsall at once
310 1.0

Right away without any delay

is sudden and also unexpected, not just prompt action
at once
vsall at once
237 1.0

Immediately without delay

includes suddenness but also insists on unexpectedness without warning
out of the blue
vsall at once
  • Informal
111 3.4

Something happens suddenly and without warning

is the same suddenness but focuses on complete unexpectedness
abruptly
vsall at once
108 3.3

In a sudden way that gives no warning

is similar but highlights the idea of happening all together
in a heartbeat
vsall at once
  • Informal
49 3.2

Right away without any hesitation

also implies suddenness and a lack of prior warning
from nowhere
vsall at once
33 4.1

Suddenly and without any warning

covers sudden events generally, not origin details
in a flash
vsall at once
  • Informal
32 2.5

Very quickly in a single moment

stresses suddenness with an extra idea of being unexpected
out of thin air
vsall at once
28 5.8

Suddenly with no clear reason, like magic

is sudden and unexpected but not necessarily unexplained
instantaneously
vsall at once
25 5.6

Happen at once without delay

adds the element of surprise and happening all together
in the blink of an eye
vsall at once
  • Informal
24 3.3

Very quickly, in almost no time

is similar but also implies a surprising, unexpected event
on the double
vsall at once
  • Informal
21 3.7

Very quickly and without delay

is sudden too but also implies surprise or lack of warning
in short order
vsall at once
19 3.5

Very quickly without delay

focuses more on being sudden and unexpectedly all together
one fell swoop
vsall at once
14 7.6

A single sudden action that happens all at once

means sudden and unexpected in general rather than one action
explosively
vsall at once
5 4.4

To do something very suddenly and with great force

is sudden too but focuses on timing rather than intensity
like a shot
vsall at once
  • Informal
3 6.0

Very quickly and without hesitation

adds surprise and simultaneousness beyond mere speed
in a snap
vsall at once
  • Informal
2 3.0

It happens very quickly with little effort

focuses more on being sudden and unexpected rather than ease
straightway
vsall at once
  • Archaic
2 6.6

Immediately without any delay

is sudden and unexpected in everyday contexts rather than formal
in the wink of an eye
vsall at once
  • Informal
1 3.5

Very quickly, in an instant

adds unexpectedness and the idea of everything happening together
at one stroke
vsall at once
1 4.7

All done at the same time with one action

is the broader idea of happening suddenly and unexpectedly

Antonyms

slowly
∞ 1.0

At a low speed without hurrying

gradually
228 1.9

Slowly and steadily over time

How Sudden

all at once
25 3.0
instantly
310 1.0
suddenly
∞ 1.0
quickly
∞ 1.0
gradually
228 1.9

Surface Forms

all at once positive
all at once positive

Morphology

all + at + once

The meaning 'suddenly/at one time' is directly derivable from combining 'all' (the whole/entirety) with 'once' (at one time), with 'at' marking the temporal relation — essentially 'all at one time'. This is a regular compositional temporal pattern in English and appears in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should be able to infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

All at once can feel sudden, like the lights going out and everyone gasping in a single instant. Because the action hits in one moment, the words all and at once are used to mean 'suddenly' or 'without warning'.