time was

Formerly, in the past, as in Time was, the city streets were perfectly safe at night. [Mid-1500s]

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

Related Words

early old preceding earlier late prior previous recent already formerly previously before then heretofore once hitherto latter ancient bygone over

Examples from the Web for time was

Historical Examples

The child's foot treading lightly over the graves is the type of the time-is triumphing over the time-was.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 13, No. 80, June, 1864
Various