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
More than half of U.S babies born in 2023 had mothers who were older than 30, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, and birth rates for women in their thirties are at higher levels than in the past four decades, according to a University of Rochester Medical Center report.
—
Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
That’s up considerably from February’s 3.2% rate and marks the highest annual gain in the past six months.
—Krystal Hur, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
City officials had been negotiating in closed sessions over the past few months and approved the agreement March 25.
—Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
Currently 20 percent off, the set has over 14,400 perfect ratings, and more than 10,000 shoppers have purchased it in the past month.
—Mia Huelsbeck, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Wednesday's storm impact The severe weather comes after storms rumbled through the South earlier this week into Wednesday, triggering more than 150 damaging wind reports in the past 48 hours.
—Kathryn Prociv, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Over the past decade, more than 40 countries including the U.K., Canada and South Korea have enacted regimes that authorize courts or administrative agencies to disable access to websites dedicated to piracy.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
In the past two weeks alone, Russia has launched about 300 explosive attack drones and approximately 190 different missiles at Ukrainian energy sites, according to ABC News' analysis of daily Ukrainian Air Force reports.
—Tom Soufi Burridge, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024
For the past decade, I’ve been involved in an animal-rescue group as a volunteer foster to dogs in need.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
That’s up considerably from February’s 3.2% rate and marks the highest annual gain in the past six months.
—Krystal Hur, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
City officials had been negotiating in closed sessions over the past few months and approved the agreement March 25.
—Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
Currently 20 percent off, the set has over 14,400 perfect ratings, and more than 10,000 shoppers have purchased it in the past month.
—Mia Huelsbeck, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Wednesday's storm impact The severe weather comes after storms rumbled through the South earlier this week into Wednesday, triggering more than 150 damaging wind reports in the past 48 hours.
—Kathryn Prociv, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Over the past decade, more than 40 countries including the U.K., Canada and South Korea have enacted regimes that authorize courts or administrative agencies to disable access to websites dedicated to piracy.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
In the past two weeks alone, Russia has launched about 300 explosive attack drones and approximately 190 different missiles at Ukrainian energy sites, according to ABC News' analysis of daily Ukrainian Air Force reports.
—Tom Soufi Burridge, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024
For the past decade, I’ve been involved in an animal-rescue group as a volunteer foster to dogs in need.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the past.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near the past
Cite this Entry
“The past.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20past. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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