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Synonyms

yore

American  
[yawr, yohr] / jɔr, joʊr /

noun

  1. Chiefly Literary. time past.

    knights of yore.


adverb

  1. Obsolete. of old; long ago.

yore British  
/ jɔː /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. obsolete in the past; long ago

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.”

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Vocabulary lists containing yore

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Persistent high-volume social engineering is also cheaper and more precise than robocall scams of yore.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

He further compared himself to death-defiers of yore like Gilgamesh, Asclepius, and Jesus, while proffering a scientific assessment of why “being mean is bad for your health.”

From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2026

A concert was a concert and audiences of yore dressed for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, indoors or out.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026

They’re practically statesmen compared with the dorks of yore.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026

Continuing a Raj-era tradition established by expeditions of yore, every morning Chhongba and his cook boy, Tendi, came to each client’s tent to serve us steaming mugs of Sherpa tea in our sleeping bags.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

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