past
n. uncountablen. the time that has already happened. It includes everything that occurred before this moment.
n. the period of time that has elapsed before the present moment. When used in a grammatical context, it refers to the tense used to describe actions that have already occurred.
We cannot change the past.
She enjoys reading books about the past to understand how people lived hundreds of years ago.
Historians often debate how much our current political landscape is shaped by the past, arguing that historical precedents provide the only reliable map for future governance.
Typically used with the definite article 'the'. In its grammatical sense, it often functions as an attributive noun, as in 'past tense'.
- 01
blast from the past
Something or someone that a person has not seen for a long time that evokes nostalgic feelings.
- 02
ghost from one's past
Something unpleasant from one's past that "haunts" them (makes them feel uneasy) to the present day.
- 03
live in the past
To dwell on and ruminate about past events.