past

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: päst, IPA: /pɑːst/, SAMPA: /pA:st/
• (US) IPA: /pæst/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophone: passed
• Rhymes: -ɑːst

Etymology

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

Noun

past (plural pasts)

1. The period of time that has already happened, in contrast to the present and the future.
2. (grammar) The past tense.

Derived terms

Terms derived from the noun "past"

blast from the past in the past past anterior past continuous past historic past participle

past perfect past progressive past simple past tense simple past

Translations

The period of time that has already happened

Arabic: (indefinite) ماضٍ (ar) (maaDin) m., (definite) الماضي (ar) (al-maaDiy) m. Chinese: Mandarin: 過去 (cmn), 过去 (cmn) (guòqu) Czech: minulost (cs) f. Dutch: verleden (nl) n. Esperanto: estinteco (eo) Finnish: menneisyys (fi) French: passé (fr) m. German: Vergangenheit (de) f. Greek: παρελθόν (el) (parelthón) n. Hebrew: עבר (he) (avar) m. Hindi: अतीत (hi) (atīt) Hungarian: múlt (hu) Interlingua: passato (ia) Italian: passato (it) m. Japanese: 過去 (ja) (かこ, kako)

Korean: 과거 (ko) (gwageo) (過去 (ko)) Maltese: passat (mt) m., passata (mt) f. Norwegian: fortid (no) Polish: przeszłość (pl) f. Portuguese: passado (pt) m. Romanian: trecut (ro) n. Russian: прошлое (ru) (próšloje) n., былое (ru) (bylóje) n. Serbian: prošlost (sr) f. Slovene: preteklost f. Spanish: pasado (es) m. Swedish: förflutna (sv) Telugu: పూర్వం (te) (poorvam), గతం (te) (gatam) Thai: อดีต (th) Turkish: geçmiş (tr) Vietnamese: quá khứ (vi) (過去 (vi))

(grammar) The past tense

Arabic: (indefinite) ماضٍ (ar) (maaDin) m., (definite) الماضي (ar) (al-maaDiy) m. Chinese: Mandarin: 過去時態, 过去时态 (guòqù shítài), 過去時, 过去时 (guòqùshí) Dutch: verleden tijd (nl) m. Finnish: imperfekti (fi) French: passé (fr) m. German: Vergangenheit (de) f. Greek: αόριστος (el) (aóristos) m. Hebrew: עבר (he) (avar) m. Hungarian: múlt idő (hu) Italian: passato (it) m. Japanese: 過去時制 (かこじせい, kako-jisei), 過去形 (かこけい, kakokei) Korean: 과거형 (gwageohyeong)

Maltese: passat (mt) Norwegian: preteritum (no) Polish: czas przeszły (pl) Portuguese: pretérito (pt) m. Romanian: trecut (ro) n. Russian: прошедшее время (ru) (prošédšeje vrémja) n. Serbian: prošlo vreme Slovene: preteklik m. Spanish: pretérito (es) m. Telugu: గతించిన (te) (gatimcina), జరిగిన (te) (jarigina), భూతకాలము (te) (bhutakalamu) Turkish: geçmiş zaman (tr)

See also

• preterite

Adjective

past (comparative more past, superlative most past)

1. Having already happened; in the past; finished. [from 14th c.]

   past glories

2. (postmodifier) Following expressions of time to indicate how long ago something happened; ago. [from 15th c.]
   • 1999, George RR Martin, A Clash of Kings, Bantam 2011, p. 538:

     That had been, what, three years past?

   • 2009, John Sadler, Glencoe, Amberley 2009, p. 20:

     Some four decades past, as a boy, I had a chance encounter and conversation with the late W.A. Poucher [...].

3. Of a period of time: having just gone by; previous. [from 15th c.]

   during the past year

4. (grammar) Of a tense, expressing action that has already happened or a previously-existing state. [from 18th c.]

   past tense

Translations

having already happened; in the past

Czech: minulý (cs) Dutch: voorbij, voorbije, afgelopen French: passé (fr) m., passée (fr) f. German: vergangen (de) Greek: περασμένος (perazménos) m., παρελθών (parelthón) m., πρότερος (próteros) m., πρωτύτερος (protíteros) m., τα περασμένα (ta perazména) n. pl. Italian: passato (it) Korean: 지나간 (jinagan)

Maltese: passat (mt) m., passata (mt) f. Portuguese: passado (pt) Romanian: trecut (ro) m. and n., trecută (ro) f. Russian: прошлый (ru) (próšlyj) Serbian: prošli m., prošla f., próšlo n. Telugu: పూర్వపు (poorvapu), జరిగింది (te) (jarigimdi) Turkish: geçmiş (tr)

ago — see ago

relating to the past

Czech: minulý (cs) Dutch: voorbij, voorbije, verleden French: passé (fr) m., passée (fr) f. Greek: παρελθοντικός (pareltho[n]dikós) m. Italian: passato (it)

Korean: 과거의 (gwageo-ui) Romanian: (de/despre) trecut (ro) Serbian: prošli m., prošla f., próšlo n. Telugu: గతకాలం (te) (gatakalamu)

(of a period of time) the one before this one

Czech: minulý (cs) Dutch: voorbij, voorbije Finnish: viime (fi) French: dernier (fr) m., dernière (fr) f., passé (fr) m., passée (fr) f. Greek: περασμένος (perazménos) m., παρελθών (parelthón) m., πρώην (próin) m., τέως (téos) m., πρότερος (próteros) m., πρωτύτερος (protíteros) m.

Korean: 이전의 (ijeon-ui) Serbian: prošli m., prošla f., próšlo n. Telugu: గత (gata) Turkish: geçen (tr), geçtiğimiz (tr), önceki (tr)

Adverb

past (comparative more past, superlative most past)

1. in a direction that passes

   I watched him walk past

Translations

in a direction that passes

Dutch: voorbij (nl) Greek: επέκεινα (epécina), πέρα (péra) Russian: мимо (ru) (mímo)

Scottish Gaelic: seachad (gd) Telugu: పోయింది (te) (poyindi)

Preposition

past

1. beyond in place, quantity or time

   the room past mine

   count past twenty

   past Midnight

Usage notes

• The preposition past is used to tell the time. The time 5:05 is said as five past five. 5:10 as ten past five. 5:15 as quarter past five. 5:20 as twenty past five. 5:25 as twenty-five past five. 5:30 as half past five. If we are aware of the approximate time, we can just use e.g. five past, ten past etc. See the example below.

  1. I thought it was about six o'clock, but it was actually ten past.

• Compare with to (five to, ten to, quarter to, twenty to, twenty-five to)
• See also: o'clock

Translations

beyond in place

Dutch: voorbij (nl), verder (nl) French: après (fr) German: vorbei (de) Greek: πέρα (péra)

Irish: tar éis (ga), i ndiaidh (ga) Norwegian: forbi (no), bortenfor (no) Scottish Gaelic: seach (gd), an dèidh (gd) Telugu: వెనుక (te) (venuka)

Related terms

• past master
• past it

Statistics

• Most common English words before 1923: six · comes · stand · #496: past · suppose · else · entered

Anagrams

• APTS, pats, spat, stap, taps

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Czech

Noun

past f

1. trap

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɑst
• IPA: /pɑst/

Verb

past

1. second- and third-person singular present indicative of passen.
2. plural imperative of passen.

Anagrams

• spat, stap, taps

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Slovene

Noun

past f

1. trap