past

A1 Topic:Time

US /past/ UK /pɑːst/ See IPA manual

Freq #585

Meanings

1

noun
The time that has already happened, before now.

She likes to talk about the past and how life used to be.
2

adj
Just finished or recently gone by.

It has rained every day during the past week.
3

adj
Belonging to an earlier time; no longer happening.

He often thinks about past glories from his youth.
4

adv
So as to move from one side of something to the other and beyond it.

A train goes past every hour.
5

noun
An earlier part of someone's life, especially one they want to keep secret.

Reporters dug into the candidate's past.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the time that has already... yesteryear

2 adj · just finished or recently... foregone

3 adj · belonging to an earlier... bygone

4 adv · so as to move from one side... by

More backwardforepassedforepastformer historic historical hoary olden precedingpreteriteused-to-be

Opposites

future present

Word family

Forms pastnesspasts

Derived forms past-timepastless

Related forms preterite

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

past participle
a verb form used in perfect constructions, passives, and some adjectives

Adjective + noun

Proverbs (3)

See all

Etymology

From Middle English passed, past participle of passen (“to pass, to go by”), whence Modern English pass.

Topics

Time

External links

# past

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A1
**Part of speech:** noun, adj, adv
**IPA (US):** /past/
**IPA (UK):** /pɑːst/
**Frequency rank:** 585

## Meanings
1. The time that has already happened, before now.
2. Just finished or recently gone by.
3. Belonging to an earlier time; no longer happening.
4. So as to move from one side of something to the other and beyond it.
5. An earlier part of someone's life, especially one they want to keep secret.

## Examples
- She likes to talk about the past and how life used to be.
- It has rained every day during the past week.
- He often thinks about past glories from his youth.
- A train goes past every hour.
- Reporters dug into the candidate's past.

## Synonyms
- backward
- foregone
- forepassed
- forepast
- former
- historic
- historical
- hoary
- olden
- preceding
- preterite
- used-to-be

## Antonyms
- future
- present

## Derived Forms
- past-time
- pastless

## Related Forms
- preterite

## Etymology
From Middle English passed, past participle of passen (“to pass, to go by”), whence Modern English pass.

## AI Etymology
Past comes from Middle English passed, past participle of passen (“to pass, to go by”), whence Modern English pass. Modern senses include the time that has already happened, before now and just finished or recently gone by. The wider word family includes derivatives such as past-time and pastless and related forms such as preterite.

## Topics
- Time

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