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
Trump has said the ongoing military presence in the capital – coupled with his takeover of the local police force and surge of immigration agents – has made crime in the city a thing of the past.
—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025
Unlike other ultra-luxury brands that were reconstituted in the past few decades under new ownership, Maybach has intimate century-long ties with its mother, Mercedes-Benz.
—Mark Ewing, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
His long-term plans are to add a chocolate program and offer pastry-making classes, something he’s done in the past at a Tustin cooking school and on his own Rull’s Kitchen YouTube channel that has more than 12,000 subscribers.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
Anything different from that, now and in the past, is an appalling deviation from our core values.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the past
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Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025
Unlike other ultra-luxury brands that were reconstituted in the past few decades under new ownership, Maybach has intimate century-long ties with its mother, Mercedes-Benz.
—Mark Ewing, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
His long-term plans are to add a chocolate program and offer pastry-making classes, something he’s done in the past at a Tustin cooking school and on his own Rull’s Kitchen YouTube channel that has more than 12,000 subscribers.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
Anything different from that, now and in the past, is an appalling deviation from our core values.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 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 18 Sep. 2025.
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