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
More than 500 shoppers have purchased it just in the past month.
—
Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 18 May 2024
For the past several months, Poland has been torn by political storms that send ripples across the conservative and liberal media here in America.
—Wiktor Babinski, National Review, 18 May 2024
Kang has been named to a series of U.S. national team posts over the past 13 years and USAAS officials have regularly praised her even when confronted with abuse allegations against the coach.
—Scott M. Reid, Orange County Register, 18 May 2024
For the past 40+ years, the Argos satellite system has been used to track wildlife movements across the globe.
—Patrick Skerrett, STAT, 18 May 2024
The company has spent the past 20 years trying to gain approval for bemotrizinol, a process D'Ruiz said has cost $18 million and has advanced fitfully, despite attempts by Congress in 2014 and 2020 to speed along applications for new UV filters.
—Michael Scaturro, NPR, 18 May 2024
That certainly applies to the small, but special circle of swashbuckling radio enthusiasts in the United Kingdom who have kept the rogue seaborne radio station, Radio Caroline, afloat now for the past 60 long years.
—Tom Rivers, ABC News, 18 May 2024
How has the past year changed your attitude toward theatrical?
—Thr Staff, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 May 2024
Explore our new section Her work has earned her a front-row seat to the profound changes that have reshaped this slice of the Mojave Desert over the past few years, as pandemic-era policies attracted hordes of investors and new residents.
—Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2024
Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 18 May 2024
For the past several months, Poland has been torn by political storms that send ripples across the conservative and liberal media here in America.
—Wiktor Babinski, National Review, 18 May 2024
Kang has been named to a series of U.S. national team posts over the past 13 years and USAAS officials have regularly praised her even when confronted with abuse allegations against the coach.
—Scott M. Reid, Orange County Register, 18 May 2024
For the past 40+ years, the Argos satellite system has been used to track wildlife movements across the globe.
—Patrick Skerrett, STAT, 18 May 2024
The company has spent the past 20 years trying to gain approval for bemotrizinol, a process D'Ruiz said has cost $18 million and has advanced fitfully, despite attempts by Congress in 2014 and 2020 to speed along applications for new UV filters.
—Michael Scaturro, NPR, 18 May 2024
That certainly applies to the small, but special circle of swashbuckling radio enthusiasts in the United Kingdom who have kept the rogue seaborne radio station, Radio Caroline, afloat now for the past 60 long years.
—Tom Rivers, ABC News, 18 May 2024
How has the past year changed your attitude toward theatrical?
—Thr Staff, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 May 2024
Explore our new section Her work has earned her a front-row seat to the profound changes that have reshaped this slice of the Mojave Desert over the past few years, as pandemic-era policies attracted hordes of investors and new residents.
—Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the past.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near the past
Cite this Entry
“The past.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20past. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
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