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

Performing tracks from past albums as well as a bulk of the songs from her Grammy-winning, Billboard 200-topping album Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé kicked off about three months of touring with her show at SoFi. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 29 Apr. 2025

Glasnow left his past two starts due to separate physical maladies. —Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025

Preposition

Rojas scored only because the cutoff man hesitated once Rojas stopped, already past the stop sign, and the whole play will not be preserved on video for future generations. —Matt Gelb, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025

Shoppers and pedestrians walk past a Shiels store at Rundle Mall in Adelaide, Australia, on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. —Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 30 Apr. 2025

Noun

Laura arrives there to rebuild her life, but the irresistible pull of quick money and crime immediately draws her back into a troubled past. —Leo Barraclough, Variety, 1 May 2025

Set just a short stroll from the Grand Bazaar and Süleymaniye Mosque, it’s perfectly placed for deep dives into Istanbul’s past. —Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 1 May 2025

Adverb

This could be the first step in Hellebuyck erasing demons from playoffs past. —Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025

Janine’s exuberance and dedication to treating kids (especially Black kids) like a gift instead of an inconvenience is a lesson for us all, particularly since rhetoric toward little humans is increasingly veering past snarky to hostile and inhumane. —Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 17 Apr. 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

Rhymes for past

• bast
• blast
• cast
• caste
• classed
• clast
• fast
• gassed
• gast
• glassed
• grassed
• hast

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