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 the not-too-distant past, Meta’s stock has been slammed because its capex plans were steeper than expected . Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 1 May 2025 After her dad reveals his role in their family’s tragic past, Lina looks to her time traveling community for advice on how to reckon with her devastation. Shannon Carlin, Time, 1 May 2025
Adjective
According to an analysis of past immigration cases conducted by political scientists Graeme Blair and David Hausman, the United States had only used that provision as a basis to remove a noncitizen two times in the last 25 years. Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 29 Apr. 2025 Chinese exporters will not sit still while Washington negotiates, especially given the glacial pace of past talks. Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 29 Apr. 2025
Preposition
Indiana forced two turnovers in the final 29 seconds of overtime, and Haliburton blew past Giannis Antetokounmpo for the go-ahead layup with 1.3 seconds left to give the Pacers a 119-118 victory and a 4-1 series win. Michael Marot, Baltimore Sun, 30 Apr. 2025 The worst examples of Google's idiomatic AI guesswork are ones where the LLM slips past plausible interpretations and into sheer hallucination of completely fictional sources. ArsTechnica, 29 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for past
Recent Examples of Synonyms for past
Noun
  • Francis, widely seen as among the most progressive leaders in the history of the Catholic Church, died from complications related to a stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.
    Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
  • But below the elegant tile floors, there’s another, darker layer of history.
    Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Ali's former wife Khalilah Ali, 75, who was in the live television audience, says in the episode.
    Jeremy Helligar, People.com, 3 May 2025
  • Some former members of the fraternity were sentenced to several days in jail for providing alcohol at an initiation event to a minor, and Washington State University removed official recognition of the fraternity until May 2026.
    Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 3 May 2025
Preposition
  • The situation surrounding veteran Derek Carr has led to many questions over the past several weeks.
    Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2025
  • President Trump airs his frustration over Russia's attack on Ukraine.
    Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025
Preposition
  • This followed the Eagles' decision not to attend the White House in 2018 after winning the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2025
  • So far, opponents are hitting 6-for-13 (.462) against the pitch after going 15-for-98 off the pitch in the previous two seasons.
    Larry Fleisher, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • An older player was driving the younger ones and pretended to get lost in an isolated section of the county, where a group of accomplices emerged in masks and black clothing, imitating an abduction with at least one gun and one knife, according to the district attorney.
    Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 1 May 2025
  • With Venus retrograde in Aries starting on March 1 and affecting your career and outward expression, old insecurities about your worth and ambitions may surface.
    Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 May 2025
Preposition
  • Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney has said that the investigation is ongoing and has expanded beyond just Gilgo Beach.
    Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
  • The products are only available in the UK now but will be rolled out to the E.U. and beyond in 2025.
    Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Let your words be intentional and your thoughts be clear—especially when involving other people into your mental maze.
    Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 May 2025
  • Playing games where the children are teammates, building things together, or learning together, can help siblings see each other as teammates rather than rivals or competitors, according to Parenting Focus.
    Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • That Horan yearns for the Fed to centrally plan an absurd creation of statist economists (GDP), prices, income, and employment more broadly is yet another disturbing lurch by an erstwhile free-market crowd that brevity disallows discussion of for now.
    John Tamny, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
  • The team is also working on restoring the habitat across the island, which was stripped of all its vegetation during its time as an erstwhile guano mining spot.
    Tim Chester, AFAR Media, 17 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Past.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past. Accessed 9 May. 2025.

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