past tense
Americannoun
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(in English) the simple past.
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any verb formation or construction used to express an action or state occurring in the past, such as, in English, the past progressive, present perfect, and pluperfect tenses.
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an instance or form of a specific verb expressing a past action or state.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of past tense
First recorded in 1650–60
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.
The myth loomed large, but it was past tense -- until now.
From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026
Analysts were surprised at the unanimous decision of the usually fractured Monetary Policy Committee, and by the statement using the past tense to refer to “disinflation.”
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 19, 2026
When we talk about media failures and war, we refer to them in the past tense.
From Salon ● Mar. 2, 2026
"Elon and I had a great relationship," Trump said on Thursday – a comment notable for its use of the past tense.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2025
Now when a writer really does want to refer to a past-time event in a remote conditional, he needs the past tense of a past-tense form.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
