once upon a time

idiom

: at some time in the past
He was a famous actor once upon a time.

Note: Once upon a time is the traditional way to begin a fairy tale.

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Snow White.

Examples of once upon a time in a Sentence

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The bigger issue is Johnson, who once upon a time was such a promising leading actor, a mountain of a man capable of embodying unexpected vulnerability. Alison Willmore, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2024 The Yankees, despite generations of dominance once upon a time, haven't won a championship since 2009, and this is their first appearance in the World Series since then. Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024 The platform gave me everything once upon a time, so many years ago. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2024 What’s more, Lorenz is the former director of the Independent Living Resource Center in San Francisco and once upon a time worked with mayor Gavin Newsom’s office in addressing concerns raised with the city about Americans with Disabilities Act complaints. Steven Aquino, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for once upon a time 

Dictionary Entries Near once upon a time

Cite this Entry

“Once upon a time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/once%20upon%20a%20time. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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