past

The word “past” means the period of time before the present. In plain terms, refers to time or events that have already happened, or being beyond something in place or time.

“Past” is pronounced pahst (/pæst/ in IPA).

Here is “past” used in a sentence: “She rarely talks about her past.”

Words with a similar meaning to “past” include yestertide, foregone, preceding, used-to-be, backward and forepassed.

The opposite of “past” — its antonyms — are future and present.

Depending on how it is used, “past” can be a noun, an adjective and a preposition.

The word “past” comes from Middle English. From the past participle of Middle English passen, "to pass, go by" — the same root as the modern verb "pass.".

“Past” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

Past refers to time already gone, or means 'beyond' ('walk past the shop'); it works as a noun, adjective, or preposition. Passed is the past tense of the verb 'to pass' and always describes an action ('she passed the test'). If you can swap in 'went by,' use passed.

The opposite of the past is the future - the time yet to come. Between them lies the present, the moment happening now. The past holds what has already occurred, while the future holds what has not yet happened and may still be shaped or changed.

Childhood memories, historical events, and yesterday's news all belong to the past. Sentences such as 'in the past, people wrote letters' or 'she has a colourful past' use the noun to mean the time, or the experiences, that came before the present moment.