abruptly

adverb

abrupt·​ly ə-ˈbrəp(t)-lē How to pronounce abruptly (audio)
: in an abrupt manner : in a sudden and unexpected way
He left abruptly.
The car swerved abruptly onto the exit ramp.
Her career as a psychologist ended abruptly several years ago when a hacker broke into some of her private client files and made them public …Michael Logan
The small, rocky Anacapa Island [California] has steep cliffs which rise abruptly from the ocean on almost every side …David J. Rutherford

Examples of abruptly in a Sentence

the car in front stopped abruptly, and we almost hit it
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Just over four months after abruptly ending his PGA Tour season, Billy Horschel is back in professional golf. Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025 However, in 2000, Burns abruptly left the show when his character went to college, passing the role down to his younger brother, Joe, played by Donovan Patton. Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025 The footage then cut abruptly to a new clip that featured Barrymore and Colbert holding their respective mugs and talking about her recent 50th birthday. Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025 Mike Liberatore stepped down abruptly as the finance chief of Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal citing anonymous sources. Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for abruptly

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of abruptly was in 1565

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Abruptly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abruptly. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on abruptly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!