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once upon a time
once upon a time
Cliché once in the past. (A formula used to begin a fairy tale.) Once upon a time, there were three bears. Once upon a time, I had a puppy of my own.
once upon a time
long ago
I had worked for some big companies once upon a time, but later I was self-employed. Usage notes: often used to begin a children's story: Once upon a time, in a far-off kingdom, there lived a beautiful princess.
once upon a time
(literary)1. a long time ago
Usage notes: This phrase is often used as a way of beginning children's stories.
Once upon a time there lived a young girl called Cinderella. 2. if you say that something happened once upon a time, you mean that it happened in the past and you wish that it still happened now Once upon a time, everyone knew each other in this town and nobody bothered locking their doors.
once upon a time
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.