How to Use unbeknown to in a Sentence

unbeknown to

idiom
  • And, unbeknown to the two boys, their moms had set up a reunion.
    Terry Baddoo, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2023
  • And unbeknown to them, the FBI was watching their every step.
    William Wan, Ian Shapira, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Oct. 2021
  • And both of them start doing good deeds in the neighborhood, unbeknown to most people close to them.
    Chris Smith, BGR, 15 June 2022
  • The season ends with Emily and Gabriel hooking up…again, completely unbeknown to Camille, who's been nothing but a friend to Emily.
    Christopher Rosa, Glamour, 8 Oct. 2020
  • These can be easily transported over-the-border and sold unbeknown to someone on the U.S. side seeking an oxycodone hookup.
    Hollie McKay, Fox News, 12 Nov. 2020
  • Jacqui had scattered his remains in his favorite park, but the urn itself was—unbeknown to Ms. Feinstix—indeed under the sink.
    Michael M. Phillips, WSJ, 8 Mar. 2021
  • However, unbeknown to Theresa and Elissa, Brendan had been working hard over the previous year to earn a 39-day home visit.
    Terry Baddoo, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2023
  • But in taking the class, the workers — largely unbeknown to them — are also helping to fund a nationwide lobbying campaign to keep their own wages from increasing.
    Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2023
  • But unlike antique cars, say, which can't be hidden for decades in the basement of one's home, antique fishing lures and reels can be packed away and appreciating in value for years, unbeknown to their owners.
    Ezra Marcus New York Times, Star Tribune, 25 Aug. 2020
  • In the packet were two sheets of carbonless copy paper that, unbeknown to participants, created an imprint of their writing.
    Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 28 July 2014
  • Most of the people who overdosed in those cases had used cocaine or counterfeit prescription pills that, unbeknown to them, were laced with fentanyl, authorities said.
    Hyeyoon Alyssa Choi, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2022
  • In the documentary, the filmmakers zero in on heart-tugging individual stories, like the mother and daughter who each wrote letters, unbeknown to each other.
    New York Times, 27 Apr. 2022
  • Toxic release facilities are corporate sites that regularly release toxins into the surrounding land, air, and water — and often unbeknown to surrounding communities.
    Zachary Smith, cleveland, 28 June 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unbeknown to.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: