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God knows

  1. Also, God only knows . Only God knows, that is, neither I nor anyone else knows, as in God knows where I've stored those photos , or God only knows how many people will join the march . [Second half of 1500s]

  2. Truly, certainly, definitely, as in God knows I need a winter coat . This expression, which originated about 1300 as God wot , does not necessarily imply that God is all-knowing but merely emphasizes the truth of the statement it accompanies. The variants using goodness and heaven are euphemisms that avoid taking God's name in vain. [Second half of 1500s]



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Idioms and Phrases

Also, goodness knows ; heaven knows .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Trump already pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the former operator of Silk Road, the dark-web marketplace responsible for only god knows how many drug sales.

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"God knows what he was doing when I was blindfolded," she said.

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You shouldn’t try to be Caitlyn Jenner, God knows.

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Acknowledge and honor all that the industry, the front-line workers and the city have endured with a more sober ceremony — though not too sober, because God knows we could use a laugh.

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"We overcame Katrina. God knows how many hurricanes, oil spills, crime," he added, referring to the 2005 hurricane that left more than 1,300 dead.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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