adj.
- gone by in time and no longer existing.
▸recently elapsed:
the past twelve months.
- Grammar (of a tense) expressing a past action or state.
n.
-
(usu. the past)
a past period or the events in it.
▸a person's or thing's history or earlier life:
the country's colourful past.
- Grammar a past tense or form of a verb.
prep.
- to or on the further side of.
- in front of or from one side to the other of.
- beyond in time; later than.
- no longer capable of.
- beyond the scope of.
adv.
- so as to pass from one side of something to the other.
- used to indicate the passage of time:
a week went past.
Phrase
- not put it past someone
believe someone to be capable of doing something wrong or rash. - past it
informal too old to be any good at anything.
Derivative
Etymology
ME: var. of passed, past part. of pass1.