yore

American  

[yawr, yohr] / yɔr, yoʊr /

noun

1. Chiefly Literary. time past.

   knights of yore.

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adverb

1. Obsolete. of old; long ago.

yore British  

/ jɔː /

noun

1. time long past (now only in the phrase of yore )

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adverb

1. obsolete in the past; long ago

Etymology

Origin of yore

before 900; Middle English; Old English geāra

Explanation

If you know someone who dreams of a time long ago, when knights roamed the countryside and engaged in daring and romantic quests, you could say that person longs for “days of yore.” Yore, meaning "a time long ago," is used in the same manner as yesteryear, days gone by, and olden times. Yore has a sentimental or nostalgic tone to it, implying that the olden times being described are in some way superior to the present day. You might hear someone say, “This tragedy wouldn’t have happened in days of yore,” or “The car designs of yore were more imaginative than anything being built today.”

Example Sentences

There had been a feeling in some quarters that Ireland were not quite the force of yore, and an opening day defeat in Paris did not bode well.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

He says he always spots contacts from the top echelons of the art, finance and real-estate worlds, but unlike intimidating rooms of yore, “it’s just a warm and inviting place,” he says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

Thousands flock to its parade of cowboys on horseback, antique cars and floats featuring oil pumps -- a hat tip to the Wild West of yore.

From Barron's • Oct. 20, 2025

She cited festivals in mission towns, such as Santa Barbara’s Old Spanish Days Fiesta, where people dress up like the Californios of yore to remember a romanticized era that was destined to end badly.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 5, 2025

“Don’t it seem like yore brain ain’t cluttered up? Like if'n the Lord wanted to tell you something, you’d know what it was?”

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

Related Words

• history