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.

---

Example Sentences

The author drops us into an Eden of wonder, where once upon a time we first cracked the codes of Dr. Seuss and “Goodnight Moon.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

Neil Findlay was a Labour MSP once upon a time.

From BBC • Sep. 3, 2025

The two, who came up together in the elbows-out world of San Francisco politics, have had a decades-long rivalry, sharing many of the same donors and, once upon a time, the same set of strategists.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 30, 2025

It seems like ancient history now, but once upon a time, there was a little backdoor pilot that dreamed of growing up to be a full-fledged reality television spectacle.

From Salon • Apr. 24, 2025

There were fountains, and once upon a time there had been gardens full of fruit and flowers, but those had all withered in the accursed shade.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Related Words

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