the past

noun

1

: an earlier time : the time before the present

happy memories of the past

In the past, there was a company luncheon every month.

2

grammar : a verb tense that is used to refer to the past : the past tense

The past of "walk" is "walked."

Examples of the past in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Troop movements over the past couple of weeks indicate the group is concentrating on seizing the southwestern highlands, which could then open the way for a push toward the government’s capital, Aden. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026

The average rent in Spain has almost doubled in the past 10 years. — Joseph Wilson, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026

Dayton rebounded because Republicans and Democrats alike saw the value coming out of Wright-Patterson over the past two decades, said Jeff Hoagland, CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition. — ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026

Over the past couple of centuries interest in male muscle development and fitness has peaked during times of economic precarity and conflict. — Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026

Rhymes for the past

• aghast
• amassed
• biassed
• broadcast
• bypassed
• downcast
• forecast
• foremast
• harassed
• holdfast
• mainmast
• newscast