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used to be

ADVERB
formerly
Synonyms
STRONGEST
already earlier heretofore once
STRONG
erstwhile
WEAK
a while back aforetime anciently at one time away back back back when before before now before this down memory lane eons ago erewhile in former times in the olden days in the past lately long ago of old of yore olden days once upon a time radically some time ago time was water under the bridge
Antonyms
WEAK
currently future presently subsequently

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.

"We're seeing this existential anxiety within the Social Democratic Party" which "doesn't know what it should do right now to get back to where it used to be", Ciobanu added.

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

"It used to be quite a cheap night out, but we've seen that it's getting more and more expensive and it's just not something we feel we can keep doing on such a regular basis."

From BBC • May 5, 2026

In addition to loosening the valve on submissions, many journals are further overheating the system by offering papers for what used to be study components.

From Slate • May 3, 2026

“Tanker tracking used to be terrible, it was medieval,” said Adi Imsirovic, a former energy-trading executive and lecturer at the University of Oxford.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

I would worry that you wouldn’t believe me, but I think it used to be yours, so you must know already.

From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones