Synonyms of past

past 1 of 3

noun

as in history

the events or experience of former times

we spent a pleasant evening recalling the past together

Synonyms & Similar Words

• history
• yesterday
• yesteryear
• yore
• annals
• record
• auld lang syne
• bygone
• flashback
• antiquity
• memoir
• chronicle
• long ago

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• future
• tomorrow
• now
• present
• today
• moment
• offing
• futurity
• hereafter
• by-and-by

past

2 of 3

adjective

ˈpast 

as in former

having been such at some previous time

a past editor of the newspaper

Synonyms & Similar Words

• former
• old
• other
• erstwhile
• late
• once
• sometime
• onetime
• bygone
• defunct
• whilom
• quondam
• gone
• vanished
• long-ago
• expired
• departed
• extinct
• dead

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• present
• current
• contemporary
• ongoing
• future
• present-day
• prospective
• extant
• coming
• unborn

past

3 of 3

preposition

1

as in over

on or to the farther side of

I drive past the school every day

Synonyms & Similar Words

• over
• beyond
• outside
• on the far side of

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• inside

2

as in after

subsequent to in time or order

it's ten minutes past six o'clock

Synonyms & Similar Words

• after
• behind
• following
• since
• below
• après
• next to

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• of
• before
• prior to
• to
• previous to
• ahead of
• toward
• afore
• ere

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of past

Noun

So that was a follow-up poem to the title poem of your first book of poetry, which is also about thinking about your past in terms of numbers. — Terry Gross, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026

Some works pay homage to Central Florida’s past, including the citrus industry. — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026

Adjective

And while overall delinquency rates improved slightly, millions of borrowers are still dealing with past-due accounts and the credit consequences that can follow. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026

Cramer pointed to share repurchases as further evidence that the industry has learned from past cycles. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2026

Preposition

Mehidy then produced a superb delivery that straightened past the bat of Beau Webster (5) and clipped the top of off stump to have Australia at 6-193, still trailing by 35 runs and with the tail exposed. — ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026

The inning should have been over after Bo Bichette swung on a bouncing pitch that went back to the backstop, but Washington catcher Keibert Ruiz threw the ball past first base, and Bichette was safe. — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026

Phrases Containing past

• past master
• run past