Contextualizebeta

past

noun
/pɑːst/UK/past/CA/pæst/US

Etymology

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

  1. derived from passed

Definitions

  1. The period of time that has already happened, in contrast to the present and the future.

    • a book about a time machine that can transport people back into the past
    • 1830, Daniel Webster, a speech The past, at least, is secure.
    • The present is only intelligible in the light of the past, often a very remote past indeed.

  2. The past tense.

  3. Having already happened

    Having already happened; in the past; finished.

    • past glories
  4. ›+ 10 more definitions

    1. Following expressions of time to indicate how long ago something happened

      Following expressions of time to indicate how long ago something happened; ago.

      • That had been, what, three years past?
      • Some four decades past, as a boy, I had a chance encounter and conversation with the late W.A. Poucher [...].

    2. Of a period of time

      Of a period of time: having just gone by; previous.

      • during the past year
      • Sarkozy's total will be seen as a personal failure. It is the first time an outgoing president has failed to win a first-round vote in the past 50 years and makes it harder for Sarkozy to regain momentum.

    3. Of a tense, expressing action that has already happened or a previously-existing state.

      • past tense

    4. In a direction that passes.

      • I watched him walk past.

    5. Beyond in place or quantity.

      • the room past mine
      • count past twenty

    6. Any number of minutes after the last hour.

      • What's the time? - It's now quarter past twelve midday (or 12.15pm) -O,K., we'll stop at half (past) twelve
      • But they were stunned when Glen Johnson's error let in Peter Odemwingie to fire past Pepe Reina on 75 minutes.

    7. No longer capable of.

      • I'm past caring what he thinks of me.

    8. Having recovered or moved on from (a traumatic experience, etc.).

    9. Passing by, especially without stopping or being delayed.

      • Ignore them, we'll play past them.
      • Please don't drive past the fruit stand, I want to stop there.

    10. simple past and past participle of pass

      • Great Tuscane dames, as she their towns past by, / Wisht her their daughter-in-law, but frustrately.

The neighborhood

Derived

blast from the past, eternity past, in the past, past anterior, past continuous, past historic, pastless, past participle, past perfect, past progressive, past simple, past tense, past-time, simple past, thing of the past, time past, times past, past the end of one's nose, whistle past

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for past. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA