past

[ past, pahst ]

/ pæst, pɑst /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR past ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

gone by or elapsed in time: It was a bad time, but it's all past now.

of, having existed in, or having occurred during a time previous to the present; bygone: the past glories of the Incas.

gone by just before the present time; just passed: during the past year.

ago: six days past.

having formerly been or served as; previous; earlier: three past presidents of the club.

Grammar. designating a tense, or other verb formation or construction, that refers to events or states in time gone by.

noun

the time gone by: He could remember events far back in the past.

the history of a person, nation, etc.: our country's glorious past.

what has existed or has happened at some earlier time: Try to forget the past, now that your troubles are over.

the events, phenomena, conditions, etc., that characterized an earlier historical period: That hat is something out of the past.

an earlier period of a person's life, career, etc., that is thought to be of a shameful or embarrassing nature: When he left prison, he put his past behind him.

Grammar.

the past tense, as he ate, he smoked.
another verb formation or construction with past meaning.
a form in the past tense.

adverb

so as to pass by or beyond; by: The troops marched past.

preposition

beyond in time; later than; after: past noon; half past six.

beyond in space or position; farther on than: the house just past the church.

in a direction so as to pass by or go beyond: We went past the house by mistake.

beyond in amount, number, etc.: past the maximum age for enlisting in the army.

beyond the reach, scope, influence, or power of: He is past hope of recovery.

Nearby words

passus, password, passy, passé, passé composé, past, past continuous, past life therapy, past master, past mistress, past one's prime

Origin of past

1250–1300; Middle English; variant spelling of passed, past participle of pass

Can be confusedpassed past paste

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for past

In their past calls for attacks on Western targets, AQAP has focused on putting bombs on planes, not revenge attacks.
U.S. Spies See Al Qaeda Fingerprints on Paris Massacre|Shane Harris, Nancy A. Youssef|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In the middle of all of that past suffering and present-day conflict, this Cosby bomb was dropped.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers|Stereo Williams|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I gotta say—I think this past year was pretty bad for music.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Many of those who have become cops in New York seem to have ceased to address such minor offenses over the past few days.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

RELATED: NYPD Salutes Murdered Officer Wenjian Liu (Photos) Police motorcycles rumbled past.
Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss|Michael Daly|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The women and children were being hurried to the ships, and two ladies were hastening past my friend.
The Angel and the Author - and Others|Jerome K. Jerome
It was a hope which came from something one of the great poets of the past had said, in prophecy.
How to Tell Stories to Children|Sara Cone Bryant
One could see that, in both places, something like an old world dignity of life had in the past been kept up.
A Canadian Manor and Its Seigneurs|George M. Wrong
The spirit and tendencies of the past century still persisted in the circles which were most permanently influential.
The Idea of Progress|J. B. Bury
It seemed to Polly that the days fairly crept by, instead of galloping past as they had been wont to do in the last three years.
Polly's Southern Cruise|Lillian Elizabeth Roy

British Dictionary definitions for past

past

/ (pɑːst) /

adjective

completed, finished, and no longer in existencepast happiness

denoting or belonging to all or a segment of the time that has elapsed at the present momentthe past history of the world

denoting a specific unit of time that immediately precedes the present onethe past month

(prenominal) denoting a person who has held and relinquished an office or position; formera past president

grammar denoting any of various tenses of verbs that are used in describing actions, events, or states that have been begun or completed at the time of utteranceCompare aorist, imperfect (def. 4), perfect (def. 8)

noun

the past the period of time or a segment of it that has elapsedforget the past

the history, experience, or background of a nation, person, etca soldier with a distinguished past

an earlier period of someone's life, esp one that contains events kept secret or regarded as disreputable

grammar

a past tense
a verb in a past tense

adverb

at a specified or unspecified time before the present; agothree years past

on or onwardsI greeted him but he just walked past

preposition

beyond in timeit's past midnight

beyond in place or positionthe library is past the church

moving beyond; in a direction that passeshe walked past me

beyond or above the reach, limit, or scope ofhis foolishness is past comprehension

beyond or above in number or amountto count past ten

past it informal unable to perform the tasks one could do when one was younger

not put it past someone to consider someone capable of (the action specified)

Word Origin for past

C14: from passed, past participle of pass

usage

The past participle of pass is sometimes wrongly spelt past: the time for recriminations has passed (not past)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for past (1 of 2)

past

adj.

c.1300, "done with, over," from past participle of passen "go by" (see pass (v.)). Past participle is recorded from 1798; past tense from 1813.

Word Origin and History for past (1 of 2)

past

"times gone by," 1580s, from past (adj.).

Idioms and Phrases with past

past

In addition to the idioms beginning with past

past master
past one's prime

also see:

live in (the past)
not put something past someone

past

adjective

noun

adverb

preposition

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of past

Examples from the Web for past

British Dictionary definitions for past

past

adjective

noun

adverb

preposition

Word Origin for past

usage

Word Origin and History for past (1 of 2)

past

Word Origin and History for past (1 of 2)

past

Idioms and Phrases with past

past