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
Make no mistake, Flyers general manager Daniel Briere and president of hockey operations Keith Jones shoulder most of the blame for the goaltending over the past 11 months.
—
Kevin Kurz, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
Bachman’s songs—rags, reels and country blues, many named for sites and sounds of Virginia—conjured an easy sense of the past.
—Brendan Fitzgerald, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Dec. 2024
The nonprofit tried to stop homeless people from trespassing in the building during the past few months by covering doors and installing fencing.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2024
In the past two years, the lab has hired two thousand and seven hundred new employees.
—Abe Streep, The New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for the past 
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Kevin Kurz, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
Bachman’s songs—rags, reels and country blues, many named for sites and sounds of Virginia—conjured an easy sense of the past.
—Brendan Fitzgerald, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Dec. 2024
The nonprofit tried to stop homeless people from trespassing in the building during the past few months by covering doors and installing fencing.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2024
In the past two years, the lab has hired two thousand and seven hundred new employees.
—Abe Streep, The New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for the past
Dictionary Entries Near the past
Cite this Entry
“The past.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20past. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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