once upon a time

Idioms  

1. On some past occasion, as in I may have sung this piece once upon a time, but I don't really remember it. This phrase, first recorded in 1595, is frequently used as the opening line of fairy tales and stories told to children, as in Once upon a time there was a king who had three beautiful daughters.

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Example Sentences

For 2026, Netflix is looking at Greta Gerwig’s “Narnia” adaptation and David Fincher’s follow-up to “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood” as its big hitters.

From Los Angeles Times

Once upon a time, information arrived printed on paper, rolled into a tube, and tossed through the air to arrive on a lawn or doorstep.

From The Wall Street Journal

Once upon a time, Jenrick was seen as a 'Cameroon', a devotee of David Cameron's Waitrose-style politics: modern, socially liberal, middle-class-friendly.

From BBC

Kurt Russell, 75, is an actor known for the “Fast and the Furious” film franchise and the movies “The Hateful Eight” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Once upon a time, art might equal 2% of an investor’s net worth.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• already
• before
• earlier
• formerly
• late
• previously