past tense

noun

: a verb tense expressing action or state in or as if in the past:

a

: a verb tense expressive of elapsed time (such as wrote in "on arriving I wrote a letter")

b

: a verb tense expressing action or state in progress or continuance or habitually done or customarily occurring at a past time (such as was writing in "I was writing while he dictated" or loved in "their sons loved fishing")

Examples of past tense in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But what feels most haunting about the arc of then to now, about Smith’s unfathomable issues and woes — yet obvious heart and particularly evident quest to find himself in recent years — is that his words then were spoken with a sense of arrival and past tense. — Kansas City Star, 20 June 2026

Potentially discouraging news: The previous sentence is written in past tense. — Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 2 Feb. 2026

Now appearing in past tense, the Worried pilot introduces Jules and Poppy, along with a crackerjack cast of comedians. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026

That all sounded past tense and very fatal; even actress Molino thought so. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 15 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1729, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for past tense

• commence
• condense
• defence
• defense
• dispense
• expense
• fourpence
• halfpence
• immense
• incense
• intense
• missense

Kids Definition

past tense

noun

: a verb tense expressing action or state in the past