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
Today in history Here are just some of the historic events on this date in the past.
—
Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 26 Oct. 2025
Many estimate the family has pumped more than $1 billion into Louisville in the past 150 years.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 26 Oct. 2025
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts got in on the joke after his team captured the National League pennant for the fifth time in the past nine years.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
More than 15,000 Amazon shoppers have given the storage bags their seal of approval, and over 2,000 people have added them to their carts in the past few weeks alone.
—Mia Huelsbeck, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the past
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 26 Oct. 2025
Many estimate the family has pumped more than $1 billion into Louisville in the past 150 years.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 26 Oct. 2025
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts got in on the joke after his team captured the National League pennant for the fifth time in the past nine years.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
More than 15,000 Amazon shoppers have given the storage bags their seal of approval, and over 2,000 people have added them to their carts in the past few weeks alone.
—Mia Huelsbeck, PEOPLE, 25 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 29 Oct. 2025.
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