past 1 of 3

noun

Definition of pastnext
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

ˈpast How to pronounce past (audio)
as in former
having been such at some previous time a past editor of the newspaper

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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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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
Rather than preserving history, Capella reinterprets it—using the city's cultural past as the backdrop for one of Southeast Asia's most imaginative luxury hotels. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026 The ad, which circulated on social media late Monday, shows Acton's long-estranged mother, Donna Arthur, saying that her daughter has lied about her past and her struggles growing up. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Adjective
Wellness guide Patrick Mauroner leads early-bird or afternoon hikes and e-bike rides through the Alpe di Siusi meadows, past fields tinkling with cowbells and grazed by pretty palomino horses. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026 In past instances, tourists and other parkgoers were injured when horses ran loose, including one instance in January where the horse crashed into cars. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Preposition
Star-crossed lovers sing right past each other on the duet from Bryan’s new Young Manhood and Other Donatable Organs EP. — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 16 Oct. 2026 Those pieces are tiny and brittle, with the consistency of cigar ash, and every swing past the sun leaves more behind. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for past
Recent Examples of Synonyms for past
  1. history
  2. former
  3. over
  4. after
  5. old
  6. beyond
  7. other
  8. erstwhile
Noun
  • The worst security failure in the country’s history raised troubling questions about whether the financial lifeline helped to sustain Hamas’s grip on power and, in turn, enabled it to carry out the assault.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Speed is now free, which means, for the first time in history, speed is worthless.
    — Matt Alt, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of history
Adjective
  • Kim Aris, the London son of former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, said he was allowed a 20-minute phone call from the Nobel Peace Prize winner detained in her native country and who has not been seen publicly in five years.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Then last month, Kwan appointed former Rwandan Minister of State for Infrastructure Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye as RFO’s principal of emerging markets and business development to drive investment flows between Asia and Africa.
    — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of former
Preposition
  • Election forecaster Cook Political Report shifted Ohio’s gubernatorial race toward Democratic candidate Amy Acton on Friday after a week of backlash over an ad Republican Vivek Ramaswamy ran featuring her estranged mother.
    — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Playing a real game in Spectrum Center for the first time since trading away LaMelo Ball over the summer, this was Charlotte’s first chance since that controversial deal to show the home fans that the deal was a good one.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of over
Preposition
  • The latest push to end the practice began in June after an 18-year-old Indian tourist, Romanch Mahajan, died after jumping from a runaway carriage.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Jeffries will campaign with Johnny Garcia, who’s running a competitive race in one of those seats where Republicans initially expected an easier pickup (after already forcing one longtime Democratic incumbent to retire).
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of after
Adjective
  • The pickup’s driver, a 34-year-old woman from Garden City, Kansas, was taken into custody but was later released after police consulted with the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.
    — Maggie Vespa, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Melanie Lawrence, a 68-year-old independent, worries about wells going dry in her area near Willcox, where the groundwater grew so depleted that the land started to crack.
    — Hannah Knowles The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of old
Preposition
  • But beyond just the legal battles and headlines, speakers on Sunday also focused on the more personal impact for people one year later.
    — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Yet by the time their reputation had carried beyond the M6, both men had moved on.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of beyond
Adjective
  • Levine did, however, receive a letter signed by over a dozen former Israeli security, intelligence and other officials, including former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, former Mossad director Tamir Pardo and former Shin Bet director Ami Ayalon.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Ten other people, ages 5 to 68, were also hit and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, Police Capt.
    — Maggie Vespa, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of other
Adjective
  • Aditya Guru Dev and Samyukta Lakshmi—grandchildren of the erstwhile Maharaja of Mysore—acquired a bungalow with good bones and a slowly failing roof.
    — Nuriyah Johar, Architectural Digest, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Below’s detour to Little Pot Rock wraps up quickly with little explanation for the erstwhile hag’s seemingly flesh-and-blood existence on the island, but something spooky’s going on with her for sure.
    — Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of erstwhile

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Cite this Entry

“Past.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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