out of nowhere

1. Suddenly, unexpectedly, as in That anonymous letter turned up out of nowhere. It is often put as come out of nowhere, as in Their team came out of nowhere and won the state championship. This term uses out of in the sense of “from,” and nowhere in the sense of “an unknown place.” For a synonym, see out of a clear blue sky.

Example Sentences

"Out of nowhere, he said: 'I want one baby from you and one baby from your friend'," the girl told police.

From BBC

"The fire seemed to come out of nowhere," the 45-year-old tells the BBC in a melancholic voice, raspy from years of smoking cigarettes.

From BBC

Then, out of nowhere as the eyes of the tennis world were trained on Wimbledon, Williams announced she was ready to play again at the Washington Open.

From BBC

"Good avant-garde paintings don't come out of nowhere - they are of obvious quality, come with documented provenance and, ideally, an exhibition history," he explained.

From BBC

It’s easy to laugh at pet culture until you realize this market didn’t emerge out of nowhere.

From Salon