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

For the past two decades, watching Lionel Messi has been a joy, a privilege and a source of near-constant wonder. — Oliver Kay, New York Times, 19 July 2026

Skubal, winner of the past two AL Cy Young Awards, gave up five hits and struck out nine without issuing a walk. — ABC News, 19 July 2026

The air quality should improve compared to the past couple of days. — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 18 July 2026

Why have only two municipalities in the United States established their own public utilities in the past decade? — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 18 July 2026

Rhymes for the past

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