past 1 of 3

as in history
the events or experience of former times we spent a pleasant evening recalling the past together

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

past

2 of 3

adjective

past

3 of 3

preposition

1
as in over
on or to the farther side of I drive past the school every day

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in after
subsequent to in time or order it's ten minutes past six o'clock

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of past
Noun
In the not-too-distant past, Meta’s stock has been slammed because its capex plans were steeper than expected . Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 1 May 2025 After her dad reveals his role in their family’s tragic past, Lina looks to her time traveling community for advice on how to reckon with her devastation. Shannon Carlin, Time, 1 May 2025
Adjective
With the series shifting to Madison Square Garden and the road team in a 2-0 hole, percentages from past NBA seven-game series gave the Celtics just a 14.3% chance to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 11 May 2025 To view the list of past winners, visit the Mega Millions website. Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 11 May 2025
Preposition
Still, ever the salesman, Trump started a victory lap well past the starting line. Philip Elliott, Time, 12 May 2025 Cruzado hoisted her grandson in one arm and shepherded her father toward the front, past crowds taking selfies in front of the Pope’s illuminated likeness. Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN Money, 12 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for past
Recent Examples of Synonyms for past
Noun
  • Combs' lawyers have argued the law has a history of racial bias that rarely results in prosecution.
    Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 13 May 2025
  • As one of the world’s most famous supermodels, Gisele Bündchen has quite the A-list dating history.
    Kelsey Lentz, People.com, 12 May 2025
Adjective
  • Ali's former wife Khalilah Ali, 75, who was in the live television audience, says in the episode.
    Jeremy Helligar, People.com, 3 May 2025
  • Some former members of the fraternity were sentenced to several days in jail for providing alcohol at an initiation event to a minor, and Washington State University removed official recognition of the fraternity until May 2026.
    Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 3 May 2025
Preposition
  • After over a year of updates, Spike Lee has dropped the first teaser for his upcoming film Highest 2 Lowest, starring Denzel Washington.
    Jessica Bennett, VIBE.com, 5 May 2025
  • The Gemstone kids already share authority over their family’s multimillion-dollar empire.
    Alison Herman, Variety, 5 May 2025
Preposition
  • Baraka speaks out about arrest A sea of supporters greeted Baraka moments after his release from a Homeland Security field office.
    Alecia Reid, CBS News, 10 May 2025
  • Because Jansen would be a partial-season rental for the Yankees — either re-entering free agency or retiring after this season when his contract expires — the price to get him out of Anaheim to the Bronx should not be high.
    Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
Adjective
  • Applicants must be 6 years or older as of the beginning of Oct. 4 to participate.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 May 2025
  • Of course, the new standard will be backward-compatible with Wi-Fi 6 devices, as well as older Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) and Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) ones.
    Iyaz Akhtar, PC Magazine, 13 May 2025
Preposition
  • These myths persist because the industry is still evolving, and many brands are learning to measure beyond what experts now consider to be superficial metrics, like likes or follows.
    Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 5 May 2025
  • Trips and experiences can be booked for dates that better suit Mom’s schedule and make a lasting impression beyond May 11th.
    Martie Bowser, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
Adjective
  • Court records show three of the burglary charges are from Seminole County and the two other burglary charges, along with the petit theft charge, are from a Volusia County warrant.
    Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 May 2025
  • Because the fire is in a residential area, fighting the fire has strained the immediate water grid, Wallace said, leading the department to bring in water from other, larger water mains.
    Racquel Bazos, Baltimore Sun, 13 May 2025
Adjective
  • So when Trump flatly, wrongly contradicts this undeniable reality, why are his erstwhile fact-checkers so uncharacteristically mum?
    Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 8 May 2025
  • But in aggregate, the changes feel almost safe for streaming’s erstwhile great disruptor.
    Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 7 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Past.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past. Accessed 15 May. 2025.

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