Past Definition

păst

adjective

Of a former time; bygone.

Webster's New World

Immediately preceding; just gone by.

The past week.

Webster's New World

Gone by; ended; over.

Our past troubles.

Webster's New World

Earlier than the present time; ago.

40 years past.

American Heritage

Having served formerly.

A past chairman.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

noun

The time that has gone by; days, months, or years gone by.

Webster's New World

The time before the present.

American Heritage

Previous background, career, experiences, and activities.

An elderly person with a distinguished past.

American Heritage

What has happened; the history, former life, or experiences of a person, group, or institution.

A woman with a past.

Webster's New World

The past tense.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Antonyms:
future
present
tomorrow
the present

adverb

To and beyond a point in time or space; by; so as to pass.

Webster's New World

In a direction that passes.

I watched him walk past.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Synonyms:
b-y

preposition

Beyond in time; later than.

Five past four.

Webster's New World

Beyond in space; farther on than.

Webster's New World

Beyond the extent, power, limits, scope, etc. of.

Past belief.

Webster's New World

Beyond in amount or degree; more than.

Webster's New World

Beyond in development or appropriateness.

The child is past drinking from a bottle. You're past sucking your thumb, so don't do it.

American Heritage

Synonyms:

Synonyms:
behind
farther than
through

verb

Pass.

Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Past

Noun

Singular:

past

Plural:

pasts

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Past

not put it past someone

Origin of Past

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

From Wiktionary
Middle English from past participle of passen to pass pass

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition