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

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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 Kill Jackie, Zeta-Jones is Jackie Price, who has been living a wealthy, luxurious existence for the last 20 years — traveling the world, selling fine art using sophisticated tax loopholes and, above all, trying to stay anonymous after escaping a dangerous past as an international cocaine dealer. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025 Even a fourth-and-10 in the fourth quarter past midfield while trailing by a touchdown could’ve been a go-for-it call. The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
If past performances are the predictor of Florida’s future product, as much concern should lie with the stale play-calling system that placed UF 100th in scoring offense as hope in a single game that featured one of the best freshman performances in program history. Noah White, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025 Aronson is past chairman and president of the Will Rogers Motion Pictures Pioneer Foundation and a member of the Academy’s Executive Branch and a member of that branch’s Executive Committee. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2025
Preposition
With water levels low, getting liquid past the filters felt like sucking mud. Francesca Krempa, Bon Appetit Magazine, 6 Oct. 2025 Looking past the pockets only reveals more great features like UPF 50+ sun protection, water-repellent fabric, and a series of pleats around the knee for an extended range of motion. Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for past
Recent Examples of Synonyms for past
Noun
  • Lightcap—who joined OpenAI from Y Combinator in 2018—double-majored in economics and history in college.
    Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Honestly, every year feels like 10 years in the history of the Palestinian people.
    Yamiche Alcindor, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The firm appointed former US General and CIA Director David Petraeus as Chairman of KKR Middle East in April and formed a dedicated regional investment team.
    Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Chinese Premier Li Qiang and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will have front row seats at the event which, according to satellite imagery of apparent rehearsals, could include a large-scale mass gymnastics performance.
    Helen Regan, CNN Money, 9 Oct. 2025
Preposition
  • In 2024, the department reported it was budgeted for 1,937 officers, but had a little over 1,600 positions filled.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 13 Oct. 2025
  • If squirrels are a concern, attach wire mesh over top of the container.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 Oct. 2025
Preposition
  • The new feature was first spotted by XDA after experimenting with its Discover sources feature.
    James Peckham, PC Magazine, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Williams, who for many years was the person on KU’s sideline to race onto the David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium turf to retrieve the tee after kickoffs, from 1970 until 2020 didn’t miss a KU football home game.
    Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But that’s exactly what the 48-year-old CEO advises that Gen Zers today, who are struggling to get a footing and even getting fired months into new roles, should embrace.
    Dave Smith, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Despite appearances to the contrary—the swirling sentences, the feverish intellection—there is nothing hermetic about Krasznahorkai’s work, both old and new, which squarely faces contemporary European reality and its perils, including the tortured dynamics of settlement, movement, and identity.
    James Wood, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2025
Preposition
  • The 285 shots he’s nailed beyond the 3-point arc are the second-most in NBA history, leaving him behind Duncan Robinson’s top mark of 326.
    Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Keaton's career thrived in the 1980s and beyond.
    Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Analysts have raised the possibility that North Korea’s next-generation Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), its new Hwasong-11 Ma hypersonic glide vehicle, and other advanced weapons systems will be on display.
    Helen Regan, CNN Money, 9 Oct. 2025
  • An end to the fighting is expected to lead to rapid increases in the supply of food and other basic needs.
    Greg Myre, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Worried that Dessalines’s enemies might eventually force upon him the same fate suffered by his erstwhile friend and ally, Christophe refused to be sworn into office.
    Marlene L. Daut September 22, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Being able to generate code was finally getting a chance to shine in the bright lights of another erstwhile reason to use generative AI and LLMs.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Past.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.

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