past

1 of 4

adjective

ˈpast 

1

a

: ago

12 years past

started working on this project 10 years past

b

: just gone or elapsed

for the past few months

I spoke with him this past weekend.

2

: having existed or taken place in a period before the present : bygone

In past winters, we have had much more snow.

3

: of, relating to, or constituting a verb tense that is expressive of elapsed time and that in English is usually formed by internal vowel change (as in sang) or by the addition of a suffix (as in laughed)

4

: having served as a specified officer in an organization

past president

past champions

past

2 of 4

preposition

1

a

: beyond the age for or of

past playing with dolls

b

: after

half past two

2

a

: at the farther side of : beyond

b

: in a course or direction going close to and then beyond

drove past the house

3

obsolete : more than

4

: beyond the capacity, range, or sphere of

past belief

past

3 of 4

noun

1

a

: time gone by

b

: something that happened or was done in the past

regret the past

2

a

: the past tense of a language

b

: a verb form in the past tense

3

: a past life, history, or course of action

especially : one that is kept secret

pastless

ˈpas(t)-ləs 

adjective

past

4 of 4

adverb

: so as to reach and go beyond a point near at hand

drove past

Synonyms

Adjective

• erstwhile
• former
• late
• old
• once
• onetime
• other
• quondam
• sometime
• whilom

Preposition

• beyond
• over

Noun

• auld lang syne
• history
• yesterday
• yesteryear
• yore

Examples of past in a Sentence

Adjective

She was hired based on her past experience in sales.

a past editor of the newspaper

Preposition

The office is two blocks past the intersection.

Turn left just past the stairs.

We drove past the house.

I must have walked right past her.

He looked past me to the next customer.

Noun

Past, present, and future are all linked together.

The past of “walk” is “walked.”

Adverb

Several weeks went past before we heard from her.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Herro has been at the center of trade rumors for players like James Harden, Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard in past years, but was never ultimately dealt. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2025

How was casting in Minneapolis in comparison to past seasons? —Emily Longeretta, Variety, 16 Feb. 2025

Preposition

Eley and other local residents slipped past the police officers trying to quell tensions and grabbed a flag from the fleeing demonstrators, stomping on it and ultimately setting it aflame. —Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2025

A couple driving on Evansville Avenue in Meriden around 11 a.m. on Saturday reportedly spotted something grey in a pile of snow just past the Markham Airport on the north side of the road next to the large field of solar panels. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 17 Feb. 2025

Noun

The answer may determine whether supersonic travel remains a nostalgic memory of aviation’s past — or finally becomes part of its future. 📬 Sign up for the Daily Brief Our free, fast, and fun briefing on the global economy, delivered every weekday morning. —Jackie Snow, Quartz, 18 Feb. 2025

Can Greg, a murderer by proxy whose past likely holds other dark secrets, escape what the recording Sarah Catherine Hook’s Piper listens to, also in the premiere, describes as the prison of identity? —Judy Berman, TIME, 17 Feb. 2025

Adverb

When the show began Bad Bunny watched poker-faced as former girlfriend Kendall Jenner strutted past, bespectacled and suited in look 3. Until today, Calvin Klein, the brand, had left a gap in the New York Fashion Week schedule for almost seven years. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 7 Feb. 2025

The wind gusted and birds chattered and the occasional car buzzed past on the street beyond his southern fenceline, but the rest was silent. —Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Preposition, Noun, and Adverb

Middle English, from past participle of passen to pass

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Preposition

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

1799, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing past

• all in the past
• (a) quarter past
• a thing of the past
• beyond/past redemption
• blast from the past
• checkered past
• half past
• in times past
• I wouldn't put it past (someone)
• leave the past behind
• live in the past
• march-past
• past bearing
• past due
• past it
• past master
• past one's prime
• past participle
• past perfect
• past tense
• past the hour
• relic of the past
• run past
• the dim and distant past
• the past
• the past perfect
• this past
• tick away/by/past
• whistle past the graveyard

Kids Definition

past

1 of 4 adjective

ˈpast 

1

a

: ago

10 years past

b

: just gone by

for the past few months

2

: having existed or taken place in a period before the present

past customs

3

: of, relating to, or being a verb tense that in English is usually formed by internal vowel change (as in sang) or by the addition of a suffix (as in laughed) and that expresses time gone by

4

: no longer serving

a past president

past

2 of 4 preposition

1

: beyond entry 2 sense 1

past 50 years old

half past ten

2

: in a course by and then beyond

the road goes past the house

past

3 of 4 noun

1

: a former time or event

2

a

: past tense

b

: a verb form in the past tense

3

: a past life or history

especially : a past life that is secret or questionable

past

4 of 4 adverb

: so as to pass by

a deer ran past