out of nowhere

prepositional phrase

In an unexpected or inexplicable manner of arrival or occurrence.

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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. idiomaticIn an unexpected or inexplicable manner of arrival or occurrence.

    Mr Pickering's 'Hi!' came out of nowhere and hit him like a torpedo.

    1916, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 12, in Uneasy Money
    2 more examples

    It had been no easy matter when he first drifted in mysteriously out of nowhere to their little mountain cottage.

    1906, Jack London, Brown Wolf

    The opening goal came out of nowhere and, buoyed, it was a lovely sequence of crisp passes that culminated in Steven Whittaker playing in Nathan Redmond to double the lead.

    2015 May 25, Daniel Taylor, “Norwich reach Premier League after early blitz sees off Middlesbrough”, in The Guardian (London)

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
like thatout of thin air

Translations

Dutch uit het niets, als een donderslag bij heldere hemel
  • uit het nietsunexpectedly or inexplicably
  • als een donderslag bij heldere hemelunexpectedly or inexplicably
Finnish kuin tyhjästä, puun takaa
  • kuin tyhjästäunexpectedly or inexplicably
  • puun takaaunexpectedly or inexplicably
  • puskistaunexpectedly or inexplicably
French de nulle part
  • de nulle partunexpectedly or inexplicably
German aus heiterem Himmel, aus dem Nichts
  • aus heiterem Himmelunexpectedly or inexplicably
  • aus dem Nichtsunexpectedly or inexplicably
Hungarian a semmiből
  • a semmibőlunexpectedly or inexplicably
Italian dal nulla, come un fulmine a ciel sereno
  • dal nullaunexpectedly or inexplicably
  • come un fulmine a ciel serenounexpectedly or inexplicably
  • all'improvvisounexpectedly or inexplicably
  • inaspettatamenteunexpectedly or inexplicably
Norwegian ingensteds fra
  • ingensteds fraunexpectedly or inexplicably
Polish znikąd
  • znikądunexpectedly or inexplicably
Portuguese do nada, da cartola
  • do nadaunexpectedly or inexplicably
  • da cartolaunexpectedly or inexplicably
Russian отку́да ни возьми́сь
  • отку́да ни возьми́сь (otkúda ni vozʹmísʹ)unexpectedly or inexplicably
Spanish de la nada
  • de la nadaunexpectedly or inexplicably
Turkish bir anda, durduk yere
  • bir andaunexpectedly or inexplicably
  • durduk yereunexpectedly or inexplicably
Cite this entry
APA

out of nowhere. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20of%20nowhere

MLA

“out of nowhere.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20of%20nowhere. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “out of nowhere,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20of%20nowhere.

Source: out of nowhere on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.