what was once vs what used to be

Both "what was once" and "what used to be" are correct phrases that can be used interchangeably to refer to something that existed or happened in the past. They have similar meanings and can be used in various contexts without any significant difference in meaning.

Last updated: April 08, 2024 • 135 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to refer to something that existed or happened in the past.

"what was once"

This phrase is used to describe something that was true or existed in the past but is no longer the case.

Examples:

What was once a thriving community is now a ghost town.
The castle, what was once a symbol of power, now lies in ruins.
She remembered what was once a beautiful garden in her childhood home.
The factory, what was once a bustling hub of activity, is now abandoned.
The forest, what was once dense and lush, has been cleared for development.

Show examples from the web [+]

The 1 6th serves and protects what was once a great neighborhood.
These are the inhabitants of what was once a housing estate near Rochester in Kent.
The term Bîrûn refers to what was once the school for Ottoman court musicians.
Benton City was first settled in the 1840s on what was once known as the Old San Antonio Road.
Here I kneel, gazing at what was once mine.
Behold what was once a man.
In the interest of honoring what was once a fruitful business relationship, let's set the table over again.
Thus what was once a working-class district is now somewhat a district of the privileged.
And what was once a seemingly solid reality can swiftly disappear from the radar to become history.
The residence run by Raffaela and family occupies a site on what was once an olive grove.
And yet, in the past all three have participated in what was once known as the Paris-Dakar.
There are over 300 million people... in what was once the Soviet bloc.
There are over 6 billion of us, and what was once an extreme phenomenon and went unnoticed is, today, evident.
The restaurant is housed in what was once the old barn, with wooden beams and original furniture.
Countless bridges and picturesque canals lead to what was once the residence of tsars and princes.
With their neighbour, Velimir, they are the only remaining members of what was once a vital rural community.
Its waters hold the power to restore what was once lost.
The Video Spectral Comparator should be able to tell us what was once on here.
We fight to get back what was once ours.
The ancient Roman Laurentum rises suggestively in what was once the land of the Vestini.

Alternatives:

what used to be
what once was
what was in the past
what existed before
what was formerly

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to refer to something that existed or happened in the past.

"what used to be"

This phrase is used to describe something that was true or existed in the past but is no longer the case.

Examples:

What used to be a quiet neighborhood is now a busy commercial area.
The river, what used to be crystal clear, is now polluted.
The old theater, what used to be a popular venue, is now closed.
The house, what used to be a cozy retreat, is now in disrepair.
The beach, what used to be pristine, is now littered with trash.

Show examples from the web [+]

You mean, what used to be the bridge.
And on what used to be the national mall, the sounds of the jungle are echoing.
I'm here in what used to be my living room.
Found her abandoned in what used to be Denver.
The tunnel was found in what used to be your pod.
Eighteen years later, what used to be Eastern Europe is now a democratic area in which the market economy is an established feature.
Now, we've 17 got bodies in what used to be a retention pond west of the I-5 near SeaTac.
You know, what used to be known as good parenting.
They Molotoved what used to be a room back there.
I'm inside what used to be the ambassador's residence.
We uncovered his body under what used to be the zen center.
On land rare plant species are disappearing from what used to be barren, unfertilized soil.
NoteSome companies have adopted what used to be an initialism as their company name.
Because I think that we just feel what used to be there.
Find out what used to be there.
I saw my son's enormous head... poke out of what used to be one of my very favorite places.
Here we go, time to unleash what used to be 223 horsepower.
I don't even recall what used to be here.
This is Donna Thompson reporting from what used to be the fairgrounds of the July 4th party.
Or what used to be Boston.

Alternatives:

what was once
what once was
what was in the past
what existed before
what was formerly

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what was once vs what used to be

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