the past

noun

1

: an earlier time : the time before the present

happy memories of the past

In the past, there was a company luncheon every month.

2

grammar : a verb tense that is used to refer to the past : the past tense

The past of "walk" is "walked."

Examples of the past in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Recession fears Any escalation of the trade war would probably lead to a US and global recession this year, multiple Wall Street banks have said over the course of the past week, including Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase. —John Towfighi, David Goldman and Matt Egan, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2025

Over the past few years, just 41.9% of medical school applicants gained admission. —Kristen Moon, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025

Osceola coach Dylan Murphy also previously served as an assistant for Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley and has served as Orlando’s summer-league coach the past two years. —Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2025

Consider who Golden just beat for this championship: Kelvin Sampson, who would have been the oldest title-winning coach at age 69, who is one of his profession’s greats of the past quarter-century and who belongs in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. —Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025

Rhymes for the past

• aghast
• amassed
• biassed
• broadcast
• bypassed
• downcast
• forecast
• foremast
• harassed
• holdfast
• mainmast
• newscast