Past
/pɑːst/
Definitions
3 meaningsThe time or a period of time before the present.
/pɑːst/
The time before the present
Reflecting on the past can help us make better decisions in the future.
💡 Simply: The past is like yesterday, last week, or even a long time ago. It's everything that already happened!
👶 For kids: The past is everything that happened before now!
More Examples
The museum displayed artifacts from the past.
How It's Used
"We should learn from the past."
"Historians study the past to understand present events."
Gone by; of or relating to a time before the present.
/pɑːst/
Having occurred or existed in a previous time
I have many fond memories of my past school.
💡 Simply: If something is 'past,' it means it already happened. Like, 'I had pizza in the past,' means I ate pizza before.
👶 For kids: Past means something that already happened, like yesterday or last week!
More Examples
The past president gave a speech.
Past performance is not an indicator of future results.
How It's Used
"In the past, people travelled primarily by horse."
"The past tense of 'walk' is 'walked'."
Beyond in time or space.
/pɑːst/
Beyond a certain point in space or time
We walked past the library.
💡 Simply: When something is 'past,' it means it's after a specific time or place. Like, 'Walk past the tree' or 'It's five minutes past noon'.
👶 For kids: Past means going by something, like walking past the store, or after a time, like the clock says it's past lunchtime!
More Examples
The time is a quarter past seven.
The car sped past us.
How It's Used
"It's five minutes past six o'clock."
"The car drove past the house."
Synonyms
Idioms & expressions
in the past
At a time before the present.
"In the past, people communicated by letter, not by email."
past tense
A verb tense that expresses an action that occurred in the past.
"The past tense of 'eat' is 'ate'."
past due
Over the required time; overdue.
"The bill is past due and needs to be paid immediately."
a thing of the past
Something that is no longer relevant or used; outdated.
"Typewriters are a thing of the past."
From Old French *passé*, from Latin *passus*, past participle of *pander* ('to spread, to extend, to step').
The word 'past' has been used in English since the 13th century, derived from Old French.