gone by or elapsed in time: It was a bad time, but it's all past now.
of, having existed in, or having occurred during a time previous to the present; bygone: the past glories of the Incas.
gone by just before the present time; just passed: during the past year.
ago: six days past.
having formerly been or served as; previous; earlier: three past presidents of the club.
Grammar. designating a tense, or other verb formation or construction, that refers to events or states in time gone by.
noun
the time gone by: He could remember events far back in the past.
the history of a person, nation, etc.: our country's glorious past.
what has existed or has happened at some earlier time: Try to forget the past, now that your troubles are over.
the events, phenomena, conditions, etc., that characterized an earlier historical period: That hat is something out of the past.
an earlier period of a person's life, career, etc., that is thought to be of a shameful or embarrassing nature: When he left prison, he put his past behind him.
Grammar.
the past tense, as he ate, he smoked.
another verb formation or construction with past meaning.
a form in the past tense.
adverb
so as to pass by or beyond; by: The troops marched past.
preposition
beyond in time; later than; after: past noon; half past six.
beyond in space or position; farther on than: the house just past the church.
in a direction so as to pass by or go beyond: We went past the house by mistake.
beyond in amount, number, etc.: past the maximum age for enlisting in the army.
beyond the reach, scope, influence, or power of: He is past hope of recovery.
Origin of past
1250–1300; Middle English; variant spelling of passed, past participle of pass
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH past
passed, past , paste
Words nearby past
pass up, passus, pass with flying colors, password, Passy, past, pasta, past continuous, paste, pasteboard, pastedown
Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss|Michael Daly|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The women and children were being hurried to the ships, and two ladies were hastening past my friend.
The Angel and the Author - and Others|Jerome K. Jerome
It was a hope which came from something one of the great poets of the past had said, in prophecy.
How to Tell Stories to Children|Sara Cone Bryant
One could see that, in both places, something like an old world dignity of life had in the past been kept up.
A Canadian Manor and Its Seigneurs|George M. Wrong
It seemed to Polly that the days fairly crept by, instead of galloping past as they had been wont to do in the last three years.
Polly's Southern Cruise|Lillian Elizabeth Roy
The spirit and tendencies of the past century still persisted in the circles which were most permanently influential.
The Idea of Progress|J. B. Bury
British Dictionary definitions for past
past
/ (pɑːst) /
adjective
completed, finished, and no longer in existencepast happiness
denoting or belonging to all or a segment of the time that has elapsed at the present momentthe past history of the world
denoting a specific unit of time that immediately precedes the present onethe past month
(prenominal)denoting a person who has held and relinquished an office or position; formera past president
grammardenoting any of various tenses of verbs that are used in describing actions, events, or states that have been begun or completed at the time of utteranceCompare aorist, imperfect (def. 4), perfect (def. 8)
noun
the pastthe period of time or a segment of it that has elapsedforget the past
the history, experience, or background of a nation, person, etca soldier with a distinguished past
an earlier period of someone's life, esp one that contains events kept secret or regarded as disreputable
grammar
a past tense
a verb in a past tense
adverb
at a specified or unspecified time before the present; agothree years past
on or onwardsI greeted him but he just walked past
preposition
beyond in timeit's past midnight
beyond in place or positionthe library is past the church
moving beyond; in a direction that passeshe walked past me
beyond or above the reach, limit, or scope ofhis foolishness is past comprehension
beyond or above in number or amountto count past ten
past itinformalunable to perform the tasks one could do when one was younger
not put it past someoneto consider someone capable of (the action specified)
Word Origin for past
C14: from passed, past participle of pass
usage for past
The past participle of pass is sometimes wrongly spelt past: the time for recriminations has passed (not past)