1
a
: ago
12 years past
started working on this project 10 years past
b
: just gone or elapsed
for the past few months
I spoke with him this past weekend.
2
: having existed or taken place in a period before the present : bygone
In past winters, we have had much more snow.
3
: of, relating to, or constituting a verb tense that is expressive of elapsed time and that in English is usually formed by internal vowel change (as in sang) or by the addition of a suffix (as in laughed)
4
: having served as a specified officer in an organization
past president
past champions
1
a
: time gone by
b
: something that happened or was done in the past
regret the past
2
a
: the past tense of a language
b
: a verb form in the past tense
3
: a past life, history, or course of action
especially
: one that is kept secret
: so as to reach and go beyond a point near at hand
drove past
Examples of past in a Sentence
Adjective
She was hired based on her past experience in sales.
a past editor of the newspaper
Preposition
The office is two blocks past the intersection.
Turn left just past the stairs.
We drove past the house.
I must have walked right past her.
He looked past me to the next customer.
Noun
Past, present, and future are all linked together.
The past of “walk” is “walked.”
Adverb
Several weeks went past before we heard from her.
Recent Examples on the Web
Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2025
Data brokers collect and sell details like your name, phone, address and even past debts.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
At 32 years old, Weaver is unlikely to receive a long-term deal, so his free agency will be interesting in terms of length and value for a pitcher past his prime looking to convert back from the bullpen to the starting rotation.
—Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
Beyond his public accusations, Ray J has often tied the controversy surrounding his past with Kardashian to deeper personal harm.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Repetition melded with the hum of the car’s engine, while mile after mile monochromatic scenery rolled past.
—Karen Palmer
september 19, Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for past
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
In past years, the event has served as a platform for Beijing to promote its national security agenda.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2025
Data brokers collect and sell details like your name, phone, address and even past debts.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Preposition
Only nine of those 32 years were profitable on a division-wide basis, the two most recent being in 2016-17 and 2017-18 and coming as a result of that huge 2016-19 TV rights deal, as massive revenue increases sped past cost growth.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
At 32 years old, Weaver is unlikely to receive a long-term deal, so his free agency will be interesting in terms of length and value for a pitcher past his prime looking to convert back from the bullpen to the starting rotation.
—Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
There are so many rabbit holes to go down, so many dark crevasses of the internet, of the show, of these women’s past that are better left unexplored.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
Beyond his public accusations, Ray J has often tied the controversy surrounding his past with Kardashian to deeper personal harm.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Adverb
Soldiers from the Old Guard, wearing tricorne hats and bright-red uniforms, marched past, amid a flourish of fifes and drums.
—Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Repetition melded with the hum of the car’s engine, while mile after mile monochromatic scenery rolled past.
—Karen Palmer
september 19, Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for past
Cite this Entry
“Past.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/past. Accessed 26 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
past
1 of 4 adjective1
a
: ago
10 years past
b
: just gone by
for the past few months
2
: having existed or taken place in a period before the present
past customs
3
: of, relating to, or being a verb tense that in English is usually formed by internal vowel change (as in sang) or by the addition of a suffix (as in laughed) and that expresses time gone by
4
: no longer serving
a past president
past
2 of 4 preposition1
: beyond entry 2 sense 1
past 50 years old
half past ten
2
: in a course by and then beyond
the road goes past the house
past
3 of 4 noun1
: a former time or event
2
a
b
: a verb form in the past tense
3
: a past life or history
especially
: a past life that is secret or questionable
past
4 of 4 adverb
: so as to pass by
a deer ran past
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