Definition of 'past'

Word Frequency

past

(pɑːst , pæst)

Word forms: plural pasts In addition to the uses shown below, past is used in the phrasal verb 'run past'.

1. singular noun

The past is the time before the present, and the things that have happened.

In the past, about a third of the babies born to women with diabetes were lost.

He should learn from the mistakes of the past. We have been here before.

We would like to put the past behind us.

See live in the past

2. countable noun [usually singular]

Your past consists of all the things that you have done or that have happened to you.

...revelations about his past.

...Germany's recent past.

Synonyms: background, life, experience, history More Synonyms of past

3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]

Past events and things happened or existed before the present time.

I knew from past experience that alternative therapies could help.

...a return to the turbulence of past centuries.

The list of past champions includes many British internationals.

Synonyms: former, late, early, recent More Synonyms of past

Past is also used after periods of time.

[literary]

A South Korean newspaper said today the event will be smaller than in years past.

4. adjective

You use past to talk about a period of time that has just finished. For example, if you talk about the past five years, you mean the period of five years that has just finished.

Most shops have remained closed for the past three days.

...the momentous events of the past few days.

Synonyms: last, recent, previous, preceding More Synonyms of past

5. adjective [verb-link ADJECTIVE]

If a situation is past, it has ended and no longer exists.

[literary]

Many economists believe the worst of the economic downturn is past.

...images from years long past.

The time for loyalty is past.

6. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]

In grammar, the past tenses of a verb are the ones used to talk about things that happened at some time before the present. The simple past tense uses the past form of a verb, which for regular verbs ends in '-ed', as in 'They walked back to the car'.

7. See also past perfect

8. preposition

You use past when you are stating a time which is thirty minutes or less after a particular hour. For example, if it is twenty past six, it is twenty minutes after six o'clock.

It's ten past eleven.

I arrived at half past ten.

Past is also an adverb.

I have my lunch at half past.

9. preposition

If it is past a particular time, it is later than that time.

It was past midnight.

It's past your bedtime.

Synonyms: after, beyond, later than, over More Synonyms of past

10. preposition

If you go past someone or something, you go near them and keep moving, so that they are then behind you.

I dashed past him and out of the door.

A steady procession of people filed past the coffin.

He was never able to get past the border guards.

Synonyms: by, across, in front of More Synonyms of past

Past is also an adverb.

An ambulance drove past.

11. preposition

If you look or point past a person or thing, you look or point at something behind them.

She stared past Christine at the bed.

12. preposition

If something is past a place, it is on the other side of it.

Go north on I-15 to the exit just past Barstow.

Just past the Barlby roundabout there's temporary traffic lights.

13. preposition

If someone or something is past a particular point or stage, they are no longer at that point or stage.

He was well past retirement age.

...a piece of cheese four weeks past its sell-by date.

The situation is long past the stage when anyone's advice would help.

14. preposition

If you are past doing something, you are no longer able to do it. For example, if you are past caring, you do not care about something any more because so many bad things have happened to you.

She was past caring about anything by then and just wanted the pain to end.

Often by the time they do accept the truth they are past being able to put words to feelings.

See past it

15.

See would not put it past sb/would not put anything past sb

More Synonyms of past

English Easy Learning GrammarWhen do you use the past continuous tense in English?Typical forms of this tense are as shown in:
I was winning. but not I was liking it.
She was winning.
They were winning.

Was I winning?
Was she ... Read more

English Easy Learning GrammarCompound tensesWhat are compound tenses in English?
How do you form responses to compound verbs in English?
What are continuous tenses in English?
When do you use the ... Read more

English Easy Learning GrammarPrepositionsWhat are prepositions in English?
How do you use prepositions in English?
What is a prepositional phrase in English?
How does using a particular preposition ... Read more

Video: pronunciation of
past

past in British English

(pɑːst )

adjective

completed, finished, and no longer in existence

past happiness

denoting or belonging to all or a segment of the time that has elapsed at the present moment

the past history of the world

denoting a specific unit of time that immediately precedes the present one

the past month

4. (prenominal)

denoting a person who has held and relinquished an office or position; former

a past president

5. 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 utterance

Compare aorist, imperfect (sense 4), perfect (sense 8)

noun

6. See the past

the history, experience, or background of a nation, person, etc

a soldier with a distinguished past

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

9. grammar

a past tense

a verb in a past tense

adverb

10.

at a specified or unspecified time before the present; ago

three years past

11.

on or onwards

I greeted him but he just walked past

preposition

12.

beyond in time

it's past midnight

13.

beyond in place or position

the library is past the church

14.

moving beyond; in a direction that passes

she walked past me

15.

beyond or above the reach, limit, or scope of

their foolishness is past comprehension

16.

beyond or above in number or amount

to count past ten

17. See past it

18. See not put it past someone

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

Word origin

C14: from passed, past participle of pass

Word Frequency

past in American English

(pæst ; pɑst )

verb intransitive, verb transitive

1. Rare

pass2

adjective

gone by; ended; over

our past troubles

of a former time; bygone

immediately preceding; just gone by

the past week

having served formerly

a past chairman

6. Grammar

indicating an action completed or in progress at a former time, or a state or condition in existence at a former time

noun

the time that has gone by; days, months, or years gone by

what has happened; the history, former life, or experiences of a person, group, or institution

often used to indicate a hidden or questionable past

a woman with a past

9. Grammar

the past tense

a verb form in this tense

preposition

10.

beyond in time; later than

five past four

11.

beyond in space; farther on than

12. Obsolete

beyond in amount or degree; more than

13.

beyond the extent, power, limits, scope, etc. of

past belief

adverb

14.

to and beyond a point in time or space; by; so as to pass

Idioms:

not put it past someone

Word Frequency

past in American English

(pæst, pɑːst)

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

6. 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

10.

the events, phenomena, conditions, etc., that characterized an earlier historical period

That hat is something out of the past

11.

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

12. Grammar

the past tense, as she ate, he danced

another verb formation or construction with past meaning

a form in the past tense

adverb

13.

so as to pass by or beyond; by

The troops marched past

preposition

14.

beyond in time; later than; after

past noon

half past six

15.

beyond in space or position; farther on than

the house just past the church

16.

in a direction so as to pass by or go beyond

We went past the house by mistake

17.

beyond in amount, number, etc

past the maximum age for enlisting in the army

18.

beyond the reach, scope, influence, or power of

He is past hope of recovery

Word origin

[1250–1300; ME; var. sp. of passed, ptp. of pass]

Examples of 'past' in a sentence
past

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…

The sector has enjoyed a boom in the past ten years.She fled abroad to escape her tormentors and keeps her past a secret from new acquaintances.In the past month he has partially refunded a couple who cancelled their wedding.It turns out that a bloke in his car had got a picture as he went past.Those planted within the past two or three years should be relatively easy to lift and move.Just tell her you want to put the past behind you.This past week has honestly been one of the most exciting of my entire career.That's something the past ten winners of this race all have in common.Too long in the past they've just brought in players here for the sake of it. Villa have only lost one of their past nine away matches in the league.