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

And as of Saturday, advocates who closely track deportation flights hadn’t logged any bound for Haiti in the past two weeks. — Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026

Seattle manager Dan Wilson was ejected for the second time over the past four games. — ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026

What changed in the past generation is that companies other than banks and consulting firms have disappeared from campus recruiting, and colleges have allowed a recruiting race to the bottom in return. — Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026

Nigerian forces rescued at least 308 victims from captivity in the past week, with the bulk of the victims coming from two distinct groups. — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for the past

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