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
However, that has all changed over the past few days as reports from outlets including , and uncovered past messages from Platner written on the message board site Reddit – some of which have been deleted as Platner seeks to distance himself from them.
—
Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Oct. 2025
Harvard sociologist and Assistant Professor of Public Policy Liz McKenna said that in the past, movements of this scale have succeeded in influencing social change, but that their efficacy has dropped significantly since the turn of the century.
—NPR, 18 Oct. 2025
Those are the conclusions of two recent reports about spiraling utility bills, one looking at the past, the other foretelling the future.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
The index crossed that level in each of the past six trading days and closed Friday two points below.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the past
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Oct. 2025
Harvard sociologist and Assistant Professor of Public Policy Liz McKenna said that in the past, movements of this scale have succeeded in influencing social change, but that their efficacy has dropped significantly since the turn of the century.
—NPR, 18 Oct. 2025
Those are the conclusions of two recent reports about spiraling utility bills, one looking at the past, the other foretelling the future.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
The index crossed that level in each of the past six trading days and closed Friday two points below.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the past
Cite this Entry
“The past.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20past. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share