Definition of "unbeknownst" []

• Unbeknown. (adjective)
• Without the knowledge of a specified party. Used with to: Our cousin had been ill for years, unbeknownst to the family. (adverb)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "McCain unbeknownst to Warner has indeed picked up a hot charcoal ember with his tongs, and purple with rage waits for Warner to turn back."
• "With no bomb-shell of an October surprise namely a tape coming from Osama bin Laden as was done in the 2004 presidential campaign; a self-inflicted November surprise came about today when Sarah Palin took an active part in a prank phone call unbeknownst to her."
• "P.S. When I hear the word unbeknownst, all I think about is Jeff Conway and Daniel Baldwin's confrontation where Daniel said "unbeknownst to Jeff ...." and Jeff just kept screaming "no I fucking did not, take it back"."