Definitions for once upon a time
once up·on a time

WiktionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. once upon a timeadverb

   The traditional beginning of children's stories, especially fairy tales.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Once upon a time

   "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the Oxford English Dictionary) in storytelling in the English language and has started many narratives since 1600. These stories sometimes end with "and they all lived happily ever after", or, originally, "happily until their deaths". The phrase is common in fairy tales for younger children. It was used in the original translations of the stories of Charles Perrault as a translation for the French "il était une fois", of Hans Christian Andersen as a translation for the Danish "der var engang", (literally "there was once"), the Brothers Grimm as a translation for the German "es war einmal" (literally "it was once") and Joseph Jacobs in English translations and fairy tales. The phrase is also used in retellings of myths, fables and folklore.

WikidataRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Once upon a time

   "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase that has been used in some form since at least 1380 in storytelling in the English language, and seems to have become a widely accepted convention for opening oral narratives by around 1600. These stories often then end with "and they all lived happily ever after," or, originally, "happily until their deaths." These are examples of the narrative form, and occur most frequently in the narratives produced for children aged between 6 and 8. The phrase is particularly prevalent in fairy tales for younger children, where it is almost always the opening line of a tale. It was commonly used in the original translations of the stories of Charles Perrault as a translation for the French il était une fois, and of Hans Christian Andersen as a translation for the Danish der var engang, and the Brothers Grimm as a translation for the German es war einmal. The phrase is also frequently used in oral storytelling, such as retellings of myths, fables, and folklore. It is used almost always in past tense sentences.

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1. once upon a time

   ABC TV series started in 2011, staring Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla, Colin O'Donoghue, and Robert Carlyle.

   
   

   Submitted by acronimous on March 31, 2019  

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. once upon a time

   Read the full text of the Once Upon a Time poem by Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli on the Poetry.com website.

How to pronounce once upon a time?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say once upon a time in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of once upon a time in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of once upon a time in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of once upon a time in a Sentence

1. Kenneth Corey:

   That is a recipe for disaster, we’ve seen it happen before. You could n’t fill seats. You lowered standards. And now you’ve got scandal and use of force. And when you look at the individuals involved you say, we never would have hired this guy once upon a time.

2. Thabiso Monkoe:

   Once upon a time..They came from Europe, yielding swords, they robbed, raped, conquered Africa , and gave us The Ten Commandments .

3. Brad Pitt:

   Once Upon a Time in South Korea. i was never a big fan of Brad Pitt. Brad Pitt's Brad Pitt.

4. Nikki Novak:

   It started with' Once Upon A Time In Hollywood,' with industry insiders buzzing about Brad Pitt for a possible Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, brad Pitt stole the movie, audiences fell in love with Brad Pitt character, Brad Pitt wooed the press corps.

5. Charles De Gaulle:

   Once upon a time there was an old country, wrapped up in habit and caution. ... We have to transform our old France into a new country and marry it to its time.

References

1. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Once_Upon_A_Time
2. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_Upon_A_Time
3. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=once upon a time