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
Consider the leaders in your past who inspired the best from you. Todd Nordstrom, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025 Simone and Ethan's relationship continues on rocky footing when her traumatic past is revisited, including her experience in foster care after the death of her mother, the subsequent unraveling of her father’s mental state and her fraught relationship with him. Francesca Gariano, People.com, 24 May 2025
Adjective
Trump’s past sabotage of COVID-19 safety measures is linked to hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths. Tom Debley, Mercury News, 4 June 2025 And so, a series of court cases and Secretary Kennedy’s request for another look at mifepristone set a potentially unsettling precedent in which the FDA’s regulatory authority from past decisions is undermined. Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
Preposition
Leon Draisaitl buried a feed from Connor McDavid past Sergei Bobrovsky a little over a minute later to seal the Oilers’ 4-3 win at Edmonton’s Rogers Place to begin the best-of-7 series. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 June 2025 Viktor Arvidsson, a new addition to Edmonton who did not play against the Panthers in the Final last year, snuck a long-range shot past Bobrovsky to cut Florida’s lead to 3-2. Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 5 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for past
Recent Examples of Synonyms for past
Noun
  • Barring something substantial keeping him from reaching that mark in 2025, Machado will become the 79th player in history to have accomplished the 350/2,000 double and just the 12th to do so by his age-32 season.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 June 2025
  • Trump’s ability to flip a switch and ease the all-consuming pressure on the global economy, at least somewhat, is probably the most blunt and effective tool in modern history to reverse any sentiment doom spiral.
    David Goldman, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
Adjective
  • Also on the Ringling grounds is their ornate former home (some might say palace), Ca’ d ‘Zan, a Venetian-style home that sits at the lapping shores of Sarasota Bay.
    Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 8 June 2025
  • The second-term president's highest-priority legislation is under attack from some Senate Republicans – and from his former billionaire adviser Elon Musk – for costing too much.
    Bart Jansen, USA Today, 8 June 2025
Preposition
  • The Democratic candidates are sparring over how to best respond to President Donald Trump’s agenda in the Garden State and each hopes to keep the state’s governorship in Democratic hands.
    Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 10 June 2025
  • As a result, the wagon has only recently made its way to North America, having only become eligible to be imported over the last decade.
    Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 10 June 2025
Preposition
  • But a baseball team’s fortunes can change relatively quickly, and heading into the four-game series this week at Rate Field, the Tigers had the best record in baseball at 39-21, while the Sox were on pace to lose 113 games, after their record-setting 121-loss season of 2024.
    Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
  • Ezra stepped down as a series regular after Season 6, with Season 7 following Spencer’s friends Jordan (Michael Evans Behling), Layla (Greta Onieogou) and Coop (Bre-Z) through early adulthood.
    Selome Hailu, Variety, 2 June 2025
Adjective
  • International students make up about 27% of the student body at the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university.
    Andy Rose, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
  • Former New College student Katie Helms, 47, got emotional when remembering her old mentor.
    Toria Sheffield, People.com, 25 May 2025
Preposition
  • Anything beyond that was seen as unnecessary, even vain.
    Larry Stansbury, Essence, 10 June 2025
  • Breaking Barriers: How AI Enables Small And Midsize Firms To Scale Historically, small and midsize law firms have faced significant challenges growing beyond their local markets due to resource constraints and reliance on specialized expertise.
    Daniel Farrar, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
Adjective
  • The wide-ranging punishments for such sinful behavior could include a prohibition on wearing gold and other precious jewelry, as well as large tithes to monastic orders and the poor.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 6 June 2025
  • Manage stress: Try breathing exercises or meditation to relieve stress. Reduce screen time: Take breaks from computers, phones, and other devices.
    Verywell Health, Verywell Health, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • This and other such studies are significant steps in the erstwhile direction of mapping brain-mind formulations to the nature of mental disorders.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
  • In 2017 under the erstwhile Nebraska star, the Knights capped a 13-0 season by defeating Auburn in the Peach Bowl.
    Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Past.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.

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