How to Use past in a Sentence

past

1 of 4 adjective
Definition of pastnext
Synonyms for pastnext
  • She was hired based on her past experience in sales.
  • Here’s a complete list of past winners of the Hal David Starlight Award.
    — Paul Grein, Billboard, 5 May 2023
  • In centuries past, it was seen as granting the monarch the divine right to rule.
    — David Luhnow, wsj.com, 5 May 2023
  • What about the pandemic — and the world — these past few years brought Command Z out of you?
    — Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2023
  • Mason had gone to the parade in past years and knew people who were there that day.
    — Michele Cohen Marill, USA TODAY, 17 May 2023
  • The Colts won the earlier meeting in Houston and have won their past three home games.
    — Scott Horner, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Jan. 2024
  • But Schmidt does think she’s had past paramours who never appeared on screen.
    — Whitney Friedlander, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2023
  • Covid is increasing as the U.S. heads into fall - but so far, this uptick doesn’t look like past surges.
    — Carolyn Y. Johnson, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Sep. 2023
  • So grateful for what has past, so optimistic for what’s to come.
    — Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 4 Jan. 2024
  • Susie and Hedy didn’t really solve any of their past issues.
    — Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 May 2023
  • Kastner hoped to create a sense of vastness and awe at the start of the song to represent journeying past stars.
    — Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 18 Dec. 2023
  • Looking at past Prime Days, thousands of items are likely to be on major sale this year.
    — Phoebe Sklansky, Health, 21 June 2023
  • Based on the 488 GT3 Evo race car, with numerous styling cues inspired by past Ferraris, the one-off hints at the future of the prancing-horse brand.
    — Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 11 July 2023
  • The club intends to build a tree house park on the west side of the Tyson complex, said Greg Collier, a recent past president of the local club.
    — Mike Jones, Arkansas Online, 31 Oct. 2023
  • In past coronations, there was a segment when dukes and other nobles would to swear fealty to the new monarch.
    — Karla Adam, Washington Post, 5 May 2023
  • Disney+ is the streaming home for past seasons of The Simpsons, while Hulu has rights to the current or latest season.
    — Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Dec. 2023
  • The new collection pays homage to designs from a past era with a twist that feels modern and approachable.
    — Essence, 21 Feb. 2024
  • This deal is available only for new Hulu customers or past users who haven't been subscribed in the past month.
    — Parker Hall, WIRED, 24 Nov. 2023
  • Just ignore these past few weeks and focus on the future, where everything is bright once again.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2023
  • According to Smith, the number of days of the current warning nearly doubles Phoenix's past record, which was eight days.
    — Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 11 July 2023
  • Defeats in five of their past six games following a strong stretch has the Hornets going in the wrong direction once again.
    — Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 4 Mar. 2024
  • With his front-row view of the race these past couple of seasons, Dunster says, he’s learned one very important lesson.
    — Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Aug. 2023
  • Some secondary roads remain closed from past flood damage.
    — Brooke Baitinger, Sacramento Bee, 20 Feb. 2024
  • Charles said racist laws of centuries past should be viewed skeptically by the courts, but not dismissed wholesale.
    — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2024
  • The union has also sought to restrict AI training on past work, and has asked for a provision giving the union a veto over AI uses.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 31 Oct. 2023
  • Color is a key logic of this show, a cruel fiction that drives a canyon between people whose fates are twinned but who can’t see past skin.
    — Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2023
  • How will Black Mirror season 7 connect to past seasons?
    — Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024
  • Also an improvement from past Dragster models is the feeling at the throttle twist grip.
    — Peter Jackson, Robb Report, 25 July 2023
  • Her poetry is a stargate into the activism of the period, a timeline from past to present and beyond.
    — Ken Makin, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Jan. 2024
  • Nine of Pentacles: Taurus, this month is going to be one of rewards for your past investments in yourself and your life.
    — Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Sep. 2023
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past

2 of 4 preposition
  • We drove past the house.
  • Turn left just past the stairs.
  • He looked past me to the next customer.
  • I must have walked right past her.
  • The office is two blocks past the intersection.
  • The grandfather is past all the BS and the kid hasn’t gotten to it yet.
    — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2023
  • And, maybe the mom watched the son’s stunt 612 times before this guy even walked past the park!
    — Melissa Willets, Parents, 25 Sep. 2023
  • The win pushed her past former Duke and Army coach Mike Krzyzewski's record.
    — Jose Fabian, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2024
  • As the clock pushed past 1:30 a.m., hope was born from helplessness.
    — Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2023
  • Gomez said that in years past doctors were required to watch patients take the pill.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
  • The Bulls made the playoffs those three season, but never made it past the first round.
    — Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY, 29 May 2023
  • Then past the art cars shaped like snails and birthday cake and Flintstones cars.
    — Hazlitt, 1 Nov. 2023
  • Those cuts would kick in if the current CR is extended past April 30.
    — Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2023
  • The student section is well past half full, for those concerned.
    — Jr Radcliffe, Journal Sentinel, 2 Sep. 2023
  • This is just past the turnoff for Granite Basin Recreation Area.
    — Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 2 Sep. 2023
  • While players from the bench streamed past her toward the scrum, Reese turned and limped in the other direction.
    — Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2024
  • The eclipse will end after the moon completely passes past the sun.
    — Kate Perez, USA TODAY, 9 Aug. 2023
  • The judge is shown placing medals around the necks of the children one by one but then skipping past the only Black girl there.
    — Melissa Noel, Essence, 26 Sep. 2023
  • My problem is one neighbor who loiters with her dog at the spot where the alley that runs past my house meets the street.
    — Annie Lane, oregonlive, 21 June 2023
  • Yandy Diaz smoked a two-run, bad-hop single past first baseman Michael Toglia for the go-ahead runs.
    — Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2024
  • Highs are expected to be near or past 70, with wind gusts around 35 mph in the afternoon through evening.
    — Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
  • That vaulted the Razorbacks past the Ducks and into third place.
    — oregonlive, 11 June 2023
  • When the bed of the truck was filled with body bags, an older driver climbed in, inched the truck past the leveled building and onto the street, and drove away.
    — Eric Nagourney, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2023
  • His shot from the right circle snaked through traffic and past Gibson at 12:26, his fourth goal this season.
    — Helene Elliott, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2023
  • The North American gross for the Martin Scorsese film looks to edge past $41 million through 10 days.
    — Michaela Zee, Variety, 28 Oct. 2023
  • The 11-foot conventional model can chuck three to eight ounces of bait and sinker out past the breakers.
    — Alberto Knie, Field & Stream, 22 June 2023
  • The Celtics pushed the lead past the 50-point mark in the third quarter before Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla also turned to his bench for the rest of the game.
    — Sam Joseph, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024
  • On the downstroke, air hits the bottom of the wing and is deflected past the bird, propelling it forward.
    — Sarah Wells, Popular Mechanics, 9 Aug. 2023
  • There are quite a few of them located , just past Procter & Gamble on TK.
    — Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 27 May 2023
  • Maya is very thankful to be past the baby gate stage of parenting but had her fair share of gates up in her home.
    — Maya Polton, Parents, 14 July 2023
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past

3 of 4 noun
  • Past, present, and future are all linked together.
  • The setting is an opaque time of the present and the 1970s past.
    — Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Jan. 2024
  • The voice was forged in church pews and rose from the wreckage of Tulsa’s dark past.
    — Elahe Izadi, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2024
  • Read about the club’s storied past and the owners’ future plans here.
    — Lauryn Azu, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2023
  • And then the fantasist in me later will right the wrongs, color in my past.
    — Miriam Katz, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2023
  • If a buyer can overlook the building’s past, his goal may come to fruition.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 16 May 2023
  • What is key, too, panelists agreed, is to build bridges between past and present.
    — Lise Pedersen, Variety, 21 Oct. 2023
  • For a long time, Milan’s present has felt just a little unworthy of the club’s past.
    — Rory Smith, New York Times, 8 May 2023
  • And that’s the beautiful part of this (film): the connection to our memories of our past.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 26 July 2023
  • Here are 15 of the greatest biopics of the recent past, according to the Wall Street Journal’s film critics.
    — Wsj Arts In Review Staff, WSJ, 8 Aug. 2023
  • Check out the water views from the hill at Gold Medal Park, which celebrates the area’s flour-producing past.
    — Katy Spratte Joyce, Travel + Leisure, 12 Nov. 2023
  • The actress stars as Cassie, a woman who seeks vengeance for her traumatic past.
    — Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 24 Nov. 2023
  • Still, even with so much ground covered, Eugene’s past is never more than a glimpse away.
    — Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2023
  • Ethan also encounters a figure from his past—six movies in the past, to be precise.
    — Evan Romano, Men's Health, 15 July 2023
  • Strained hymns sung by the patients felt like frayed tethers to their respective pasts.
    — Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 22 Sep. 2023
  • Read on for a list of must-visit new spots, all of which nod toward Beantown’s storied past.
    — Jackie Caradonio, Travel + Leisure, 16 Dec. 2023
  • Just one of the countless stories that make up this rich tapestry of our nation's past.
    — Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 9 Nov. 2023
  • Take part in something that will broaden your awareness or bring you in touch with someone from your past.
    — Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2024
  • This teacher of ancient history must come to terms with his own past.
    — Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Oct. 2023
  • Chia’s bit had centered on the uneasy past between Singapore and Malaysia, which were once part of the same country.
    — Chris Lau, CNN, 11 June 2023
  • But his fellow passengers on May 1 would have had no knowledge of his past.
    — Nate Schweber, New York Times, 12 May 2023
  • Attention has also turned to the container ship Dali and its past.
    — Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 28 Mar. 2024
  • Despite that complicated past, gay pride flourished in parts of the state.
    — Lori Rozsa, Washington Post, 10 June 2023
  • As polling data have shown for many years, the main source of popular pride in the state today is the country’s glorious past.
    — Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 1 Dec. 2023
  • Britney Spears delves into her past in her upcoming book, The Woman in Me.
    — Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 20 Oct. 2023
  • The hotel's interior decor, from the lobby to the hallways, are also packed with nods to the country's past, and its rooftop boasts a 360-degree view of the city.
    — Christine Burroni, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2024
  • Ludacris has been a huge source of support for his wife in both opening up about her past and starting the foundation.
    — Stephanie Kaloi, Peoplemag, 16 May 2023
  • Each room has its own unique flare thanks to a mix of modern and antique decor, while its oak floors and 100-year-old brick walls remind you of its storied past.
    — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 4 May 2023
  • The featured verse from J. Cole, with his 16 past Grammy nominations, gives the song an extra boost.
    — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 8 Nov. 2023
  • What is your connection — current or past — to the dairy industry?
    — Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 9 June 2023
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past

4 of 4 adverb
  • Several weeks went past before we heard from her.
  • When a wave moves past, the ducks will bob up and down.
    — Steve Nadis, Discover Magazine, 20 Apr. 2023
  • Or archive pieces from decades past, the deepest of deep cuts?
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 10 Nov. 2023
  • And then all of a sudden, one of the takes, a flock of geese fly past and reflect off the windowpane.
    — Selome Hailu, Variety, 12 June 2023
  • Good point, but also worth pointing out that the idea has roots in their awards show past.
    — Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Mar. 2023
  • When Landers drove past, deputies fired to try to shoot out the tires and stop his truck, the sheriff’s office said.
    — Austindedios, oregonlive, 15 July 2023
  • Before long, nostalgic math whizzes of decades past came across the site.
    — Alex Traub, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2024
  • There’s a jailer standing watch as a line of inmates files past.
    — Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2023
  • As in years past, Griffin will also be a part of the lineup with his band Better Than Ezra.
    — Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024
  • Then setup in a good travel corridor or pinch point and wait for a buck to cruise past.
    — Dave Hurteau, Field & Stream, 3 Apr. 2023
  • This pair of eagles have raised several chicks in years past.
    — Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 13 Sep. 2023
  • In years past, though, some of the Tide’s biggest gets have been after spring practices conclude.
    — Nick Alvarez | Nalvarez@al.com, al, 15 Apr. 2023
  • The shows seemed more subdued than in years past, and offered few celebrity scores for paparazzi.
    — Miami Staff, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024
  • Like seasons past, each episode of Black Mirror features a whole new cast.
    — Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 8 June 2023
  • On March 1st, crowds lined a street in Moscow as the hearse carrying Navalny’s body drove past.
    — Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2024
  • The offensive line is also doing this more than in years past.
    — Calvin Watkins, Dallas News, 14 Sep. 2023
  • The parade ended with Princess Kate receiving a royal salute as the troops marched past.
    — Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2023
  • Two men drove past on motorcycles and flipped off the activists.
    — Jason Kyle Howard, The New Republic, 25 June 2023
  • Other dates are still to be announced — and could look very different this year than in years past.
    — Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Aug. 2023
  • But on a historic night at Dodger Stadium, the first with a pitch clock in a game that mattered, the lights were the most jarring change from years past.
    — Jorge Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2023
  • Speaking of which, one of the highlights is a stunning grand entrance hallway that harks back to The OWO’s storied past.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2024
  • And as in years past, this year's tournament brought out some A-list fans who cheered, clapped and supported from their seats.
    — Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 17 July 2023
  • The lights are dim, a few couples meander past, and a group of kids on a field trip is being shepherded around.
    — Samantha Laine Perfas, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 July 2023
  • The shooting happened as a pickup with six people in the bed drove past, headed south on Denby.
    — Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2023
  • Two hours later, a Greek coast guard helicopter flew past.
    — Karam Shoumali, BostonGlobe.com, 1 July 2023
  • In years past, the promotion offered a flat 50 percent off on all tickets.
    — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Mar. 2024
  • The stadium stands, unlike in years past, didn’t empty.
    — Karin Brulliard, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2023
  • For that first post-Covid season, around 6,000 people applied for the jobs—more than twice the number of applicants than in years past.
    — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024
  • As the glaciers of the north expanded and melted in eons past, the Florida peninsula emerged and submerged.
    — Chuck Lehmann, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2023
  • In years past, Starbucks has brought back their pumpkin spice latte in late August.
    — Sam Burros, Peoplemag, 9 Aug. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'past.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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