past

English Online Dictionary. What means past‎? What does past mean?

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: päst, IPA^(key): /pɑːst/
• (Northern England, Scotland) IPA^(key): /past/
• (US) enPR: păst, IPA^(key): /pæst/
• Homophone: passed
• Rhymes: -æst, -ɑːst

Noun

past (plural pasts)

1. The period of time that has already happened, in contrast to the present and the future.
   • 1830, Daniel Webster, a speech

     The past, at least, is secure.
2. (grammar) The past tense.

Synonyms

• (period of time that has already happened): foretime, yestertide; see also Thesaurus:the past

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• preterite

Adjective

past (comparative more past, superlative most past)

1. Having already happened; in the past; finished. [from 14th c.]
2. (postmodifier) Following expressions of time to indicate how long ago something happened; ago. [from 15th c.]
3. Of a period of time: having just gone by; previous. [from 15th c.]
4. (grammar) Of a tense, expressing action that has already happened or a previously-existing state. [from 18th c.]

Synonyms

• (having already happened): bygone, foregone; see also Thesaurus:past
• (having just gone by): foregone, preceding, used-to-be; see also Thesaurus:former

Translations

Adverb

past (comparative more past, superlative most past)

1. In a direction that passes.

   Synonym: by

Translations

Preposition

past

1. Beyond in place or quantity

   the room past mine

   count past twenty

2. (time) Any number of minutes after the last hour

   Antonym: to
3. No longer capable of.

4. Having recovered or moved on from (a traumatic experience, etc.).
5. Passing by, especially without stopping or being delayed.

Derived terms

• see past
• see past the end of one's nose
• whistle past

Translations

Verb

past

1. (obsolete) simple past and past participle of pass

Related terms

Anagrams

• ATSP, PTSA, TAPs, ap'ts, PATs, Apts, TAPS, PSAT, taps, spat, APTs, apts., ATPs, TPAs, ptas., Pats, stap, PTAs, pats, APTS, apts, Taps

Czech

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *pastь,

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpast]
• Rhymes: -ast

Noun

past f

1. trap (a device designed to catch and sometimes kill animals)

   past na myši ― mousetrap

Declension

Derived terms

See also

• léčka
• záloha
• nástraha
• úskalí

Further reading

• “past”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “past”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “past”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech)

Anagrams

• spát
• psát

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɑst
• IPA^(key): /pɑst/

Verb

past

1. inflection of passen:
   1. second/third-person singular present indicative
   2. (archaic) plural imperative

Anagrams

• spat, stap, taps

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French past, from Latin pastus (“pasture”).

Noun

past m (plural pasts)

1. food, meal

Old French

Alternative forms

• paist, pest, pas

Etymology

From Latin pastus (“pasture”), probably influenced by paste (“dough, pastry”).

Noun

past oblique singular, m (nominative singular past)

1. food, meal

Descendants

• Middle French: past

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpast/
• Rhymes: -ast
• Syllabification: past

Noun

past f

1. genitive plural of pasta

Slovene

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *pastь.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /páːst/

Noun

pȃst f

1. trap

Inflection

Verb

pȃst

1. supine of pásti

Further reading

• “past”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU (in Slovene), 2014–2024