as in history
the events or experience of former times
we spent a pleasant evening recalling the past together
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in former
having been such at some previous time
a past editor of the newspaper
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in over
on or to the farther side of
I drive past the school every day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of past
Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
There’s no doubt this recipe was invented by a creative, resourceful Southern dad at some point in the distant past.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 21 Feb. 2026
Joe Otterson, Variety, 23 Feb. 2026
But, as seen in past surveys and interviews, their reasons for that might well be very different.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 23 Feb. 2026
Stephen Whyno, Hartford Courant, 21 Feb. 2026
With runners on second and third and two outs, Connor Norby hit a chopper past the third base bag.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for past
Noun
Viewers were also given an insight into Dunk's past and his journey to Westeros.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
There’s no doubt this recipe was invented by a creative, resourceful Southern dad at some point in the distant past.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
As with past seasons, the third is being shot in Dublin, Ireland.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 23 Feb. 2026
But, as seen in past surveys and interviews, their reasons for that might well be very different.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 23 Feb. 2026
Preposition
Former UConn star Tage Thompson, Dylan Larkin, Jack Hughes and Jack Eichel scored the four goals on 23 shots that chased Samuel Hlavaj out of Slovakia’s net past the midway point of the second period.
—Stephen Whyno, Hartford Courant, 21 Feb. 2026
With runners on second and third and two outs, Connor Norby hit a chopper past the third base bag.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for past
Recent Examples of Synonyms for past
Noun
-
Ficke was Moe’s right-hand man with the Nuggets from 1982-84, the Abbott to his Costello, at the start of one of the most successful — and absolutely bonkers — periods of the team’s history.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Meanwhile, all 17 of the album's tracks charted on the Billboard Hot 100, making Bad Bunny the first Latin artist in history to have over 100 entries on the chart.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The winning bid for the rare card was placed by venture capitalist AJ Scaramucci, the son of former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The Sun Belt is the only real exception, having now defined itself as FBS’ actual Southeastern conference, partly by losing its former oddballs like Idaho and New Mexico State.—
Jason Kirk,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Preposition
-
With the city facing multiple lawsuits over the billing debacle, Clark helped oversee a friendly class-action lawsuit against the city, the judge found.—
Dakota Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
In France, the highest-profile figure affected by the recent release of the Epstein files is former Culture Minister Jack Lang, 86, who stepped down earlier this month as head of the Arab World Institute in Paris over suspicions of tax fraud.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Feb. 2026
Preposition
-
Carolyn Hax started her Washington Post advice column in 1997, after five years on the Style desk and none as a therapist.—
Carolyn Hax,
Washington Post,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Hours after her post, deputies assigned to the Salton City sheriff’s station responded to a call about the discovery of human remains in Salton City.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The oldest American woman to compete in the women’s singles event in nearly a century now sits in a distant 13th place ahead of the 4-minute free skate on Thursday night.—
Brittany Ghiroli,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Lowenthal has spoken highly of Australia’s similar ban, which went into effect in December and bans accounts for all children under 16 years old.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
18 Feb. 2026
Preposition
-
The Illini, known for their three-point shooting prowess, made 10 of their first 19 shots from beyond the arc, heavily contributing to their 20-0 run that spanned about six minutes midway through the first half.—
Sean Campbell,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
-
There are pepper cakes, spicy skewers, and Pakistani delights to transport your taste buds beyond Hong Kong’s borders.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Since first taking place in the 1940s, cloud seeding experiments have raised concern over potential environmental and ecological risks and stoked regional security tensions, with countries accusing each other of stealing rain.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The committee approved the East Village Green item 3-0 as part of the consent agenda, meaning it was considered routine and grouped alongside other items for approval with minimal discussion.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Directed and co-written by Alexandre Rockwell, the film follows an aspiring filmmaker (Steve Buscemi) who falls in with an irresistibly charming gangster (Seymour Cassel, who won Sundance’s first acting award) as his erstwhile producer.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
La Dolce Vita and the Minerva, which occupies the erstwhile palazzo of 17th-century aristocrats, debuted last April.—
Adam Erace,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Past.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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