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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
Consider the leaders in your past who inspired the best from you. Todd Nordstrom, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025 Simone and Ethan's relationship continues on rocky footing when her traumatic past is revisited, including her experience in foster care after the death of her mother, the subsequent unraveling of her father’s mental state and her fraught relationship with him. Francesca Gariano, People.com, 24 May 2025
Adjective
Here are three dividend-paying stocks, highlighted by Wall Street’s top pros, as tracked by TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance. Tipranks.com Staff, CNBC, 15 June 2025 This being Father’s Day, Lynn has been swamped these past few weeks making videos for Cameo. Bill Speros, Boston Herald, 15 June 2025
Preposition
Leon Draisaitl buried a feed from Connor McDavid past Sergei Bobrovsky a little over a minute later to seal the Oilers’ 4-3 win at Edmonton’s Rogers Place to begin the best-of-7 series. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 June 2025 Viktor Arvidsson, a new addition to Edmonton who did not play against the Panthers in the Final last year, snuck a long-range shot past Bobrovsky to cut Florida’s lead to 3-2. Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 5 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for past
Recent Examples of Synonyms for past
Noun
  • Barring something substantial keeping him from reaching that mark in 2025, Machado will become the 79th player in history to have accomplished the 350/2,000 double and just the 12th to do so by his age-32 season.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 June 2025
  • Trump’s ability to flip a switch and ease the all-consuming pressure on the global economy, at least somewhat, is probably the most blunt and effective tool in modern history to reverse any sentiment doom spiral.
    David Goldman, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
Adjective
  • The second of two debates includes Andrew Cuomo, the disgraced former governor and mayoral front-runner, who will appear side by side with Zohran Mamdani, the thirty-three-year-old democratic-socialist assemblyman who has solidified his hold on second place in the polls.
    Eric Lach, New Yorker, 8 June 2025
  • James Young, 53, a former Drug Enforcement Administration agent in Los Angeles, faces up to 29 years in prison after prosecutors amended a criminal complaint to include several counts like assault with a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon and causing a hit-and-run accident.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 June 2025
Preposition
  • The Democratic candidates are sparring over how to best respond to President Donald Trump’s agenda in the Garden State and each hopes to keep the state’s governorship in Democratic hands.
    Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 10 June 2025
  • Young Chinese consumers aged 18–34 now account for over a third of gold jewelry sales, according to Bloomberg’s Chongjing Li.
    Frank Holmes, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
Preposition
  • Hogg lost his vice chairman position at the DNC this week after a slew of run-ins with leadership.
    Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 14 June 2025
  • The season was set to drop at 9 p.m. ET and 6 p.m. PT, but a minute after its premiere time, Peacock announced there would be a slight delay.
    Catherine Santino, People.com, 14 June 2025
Adjective
  • International students make up about 27% of the student body at the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university.
    Andy Rose, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
  • Former New College student Katie Helms, 47, got emotional when remembering her old mentor.
    Toria Sheffield, People.com, 25 May 2025
Preposition
  • The Central Stage showcase will take place on July 8. Small Screen, Big Ambitions Another pivotal development in this year’s industry program is the expansion beyond feature films to embrace small-screen content, made possible through a new partnership with Central European Media Enterprises.
    Leo Barraclough, Variety, 10 June 2025
  • Breaking Barriers: How AI Enables Small And Midsize Firms To Scale Historically, small and midsize law firms have faced significant challenges growing beyond their local markets due to resource constraints and reliance on specialized expertise.
    Daniel Farrar, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
Adjective
  • The wide-ranging punishments for such sinful behavior could include a prohibition on wearing gold and other precious jewelry, as well as large tithes to monastic orders and the poor.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 6 June 2025
  • Manage stress: Try breathing exercises or meditation to relieve stress. Reduce screen time: Take breaks from computers, phones, and other devices.
    Verywell Health, Verywell Health, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • Even without his erstwhile power-pitching ability, Kimbrel hopes to compensate with experience.
    Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
  • As the group’s drummer and erstwhile bassist when Rastegar was unavailable, Wood came into permanent possession of the second chair.
    Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 23 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Past.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

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