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

Strikes in the region have been relatively calmer over the past few days, although Kuwait said Iran hit a building belonging to a Chinese company in the northern part of the country on Thursday, killing one employee. — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026

That leaves the door open for the continuation of the blockbuster rivalry between Rhodes and Orton, who has been off TV for the past few months. — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

How has the past month in the big leagues been for Jim Jarvis? — Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Over the past decade, Beijing has rapidly expanded its navy by launching modern destroyers, frigates, amphibious assault ships, and aircraft carriers at an unprecedented pace. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 1 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for the past

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