Past (noun) the period of time before the present moment. (adjective) belonging to an earlier time; no longer current or active. (preposition) beyond a place or later than a point in time. (adverb) so as to go from one side to the other; moving by.
What Does Past Mean?
As a noun, past refers to all events, experiences, and time that have already occurred — everything before this present moment. You can speak of the distant past, the recent past, or simply the past as a concept opposed to the present and future. The word is almost always used with a definite article: the past.
As an adjective, past describes something that happened or existed in an earlier time (past mistakes, past experience) or that is no longer in a role or position (past president, past master). It also describes a recently completed period: the past few weeks, the past year.
As a preposition, past has two principal senses. Spatially it means beyond or on the far side of: walk past the post office. Temporally it means later than a specific time: half past six, it was past midnight. Unlike many prepositions, past takes a noun or pronoun directly after it without requiring another connecting word.
As an adverb, past describes movement in which someone or something goes by a fixed point: a lorry thundered past, she waved as she walked past. The adverbial use is closely related to the prepositional one — the difference is simply whether an object (noun) follows.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level & Usage Note |
|---|---|
| I walked past the school on my way home. | A2 — preposition (spatial) |
| In the past, people did not have mobile phones. | B1 — noun in prepositional phrase, contrasting past with present |
| She has a lot of past experience working with children. | B1 — adjective modifying a noun |
| It was already past midnight when they finally reached the hotel. | B2 — preposition (temporal), emphasis on lateness |
| The past perfect tense describes an action completed before another past action. | C1 — compound noun (grammar term), formal written register |
Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| in the past | In the past, letters took weeks to arrive. |
| past experience | Past experience shows that preparation matters. |
| past tense | Use the past tense to describe completed actions. |
| past perfect | The past perfect uses had + past participle. |
| distant past | In the distant past, this area was covered by forest. |
| recent past | Events in the recent past still affect us today. |
| half past | The train leaves at half past eight. |
| walk/drive past | They drove past without stopping. |
| a thing of the past | Paper maps are becoming a thing of the past. |
| past master | She is a past master at negotiation. |
Usage Notes
Four Roles, One Spelling
- Noun: always used with the when referring to time — the past; used without an article in expressions like a thing of the past.
- Adjective: placed before the noun — past events, the past few days. It cannot follow a linking verb the way most adjectives can (*the events were past is possible but archaic).
- Preposition: takes a noun/pronoun directly: past the window, past noon. Never followed by of.
- Adverb: no object follows — he rushed past. If an object appears, the word is functioning as a preposition.
In telling the time, British English uses half past + hour (half past three = 3:30), while American English more commonly says half three or three-thirty.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
She past the exam last week. (past used as a verb)
She passed the exam last week. (passed = past tense of to pass)
He walked passed the museum without going in.
He walked past the museum without going in. (past = preposition meaning beyond)
In the past, I was living in Paris for two years.
In the past, I lived in Paris for two years. (completed past period: use past simple, not past continuous)
It's passed midnight — we should leave.
It's past midnight — we should leave. (past = preposition of time)