drop by unannounced

Meaning

This expression means to visit someone's home or office without calling ahead or making an appointment beforehand. Depending on the culture and relationship, doing this can be seen as either a warm, spontaneous gesture or a rude intrusion. The tone is casual and conversational.

Examples

• My mother-in-law likes to drop by unannounced, which sometimes catches us off guard.

  My mother-in-law likes to drop by unannounced, which sometimes catches us off guard.

• Please don't drop by unannounced; I prefer to know when guests are coming over.

  Please don't drop by unannounced; I prefer to know when guests are coming over.

• Back in college, my friends would always drop by unannounced just to hang out.

  Back in college, my friends would always drop by unannounced just to hang out.

• He decided to drop by unannounced with a box of donuts to surprise his coworkers.

  He decided to drop by unannounced with a box of donuts to surprise his coworkers.

• I was in the neighborhood, but I didn't want to drop by unannounced in case you were busy.

  I was in the neighborhood, but I didn't want to drop by unannounced in case you were busy.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ She dropped by unannouncely yesterday afternoon.

  ✓ She dropped by unannounced yesterday afternoon.

  'Unannounced' functions as an adjective/adverbial modifier here; 'unannouncely' is not a valid word.

• ✗ It is rude to drop by unannounced to someone's house.

  ✓ It is rude to drop by someone's house unannounced.

  'Drop by' is a phrasal verb that can take a location directly (e.g., 'drop by my house'), and 'unannounced' usually goes at the end of the clause.

Related Expressions

Practice

• I hate it when neighbors ___ when my house is a complete mess.

  💡 Visit without calling first.

  Show answer

  drop by unannounced

• If you are ever in my town, feel free to ___!

  💡 Show up without a scheduled plan.

  Show answer

  drop by unannounced