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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Past Meaning, Examples & Usage Guide (3 meaning)

Meaning 1：bygone times (past)

past 🔊

/pæst/

n./adj./prep.

All the time that has already happened, like yesterday or your childhood.

Hourglass with sand at bottom symbolizing past time and bygone era

bygone times 🔊

➕

/ˈbaɪɡɒn taɪmz/

n./adj./prep.

Refers to all events and moments that have already occurred, before the present moment.

📁 Category：Time & Dates 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English "pæst", past participle of "pass", meaning "to go by".

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a path you have walked: you passed it, so it's in the past.

📖 Example

My grandfather loves to tell us stories about his adventures in the past. 🔊 My grandfather loves to tell us stories about his adventures in the past.

🔗 Collocations

in the past – during a period before now

past events – things that happened earlier

past experience – knowledge gained from previous situations

🔄 Synonyms

history (n.) – all past events collectively

yesteryear (n.) – former times, especially recent past

bygone (adj.) – belonging to an earlier time

🚫 Antonyms

future (n.) – time that is yet to come

present (n.) – the current moment

🌱 Derivatives

pastness (n.) – the quality of being past

📖 Cultural Story

The word "past" originates from Old English "pæst", the past participle of "pass", meaning to go by. It has been a fundamental term in English for over 1000 years to denote time that has elapsed.

Meaning 2：former (past)

past 🔊

/pæst/

n./adj./prep.

Used to describe something or someone that belonged to or happened in a time before now.

former 🔊

➕

/ˈfɔːmə/

n./adj./prep.

Describes something that existed or happened in an earlier time, no longer current.

📁 Category：Time & Dates 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

I found an old photo of my past home, and it brought back many memories. 🔊 I found an old photo of my past home, and it brought back many memories.

🔗 Collocations

past president – a former president

past life – one's life before the present

past glory – fame from earlier days

🔄 Synonyms

previous (adj.) – existing or occurring before in time or order

former (adj.) – having previously been a particular thing

prior (adj.) – existing or coming before in time

🚫 Antonyms

present (adj.) – existing or occurring now

future (adj.) – yet to come

🌱 Derivatives

pastness (n.) – the state of being past

Meaning 3：beyond (past)

past 🔊

/pæst/

n./adj./prep.

Moving from one side to the other side of something or someone; or when a time is later than a certain hour.

beyond 🔊

➕

/bɪˈjɒnd/

n./adj./prep.

Indicates movement from one side to the other side of something, or a time later than a specified hour.

📁 Category：Transportation & Travel 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

I rode my bike past the library on my way to the park. 🔊 I rode my bike past the library on my way to the park.

🔗 Collocations

run past – to move quickly beyond something

walk past – to go by on foot without stopping

half past – thirty minutes after a specific hour

🔄 Synonyms

beyond (prep.) – on the far side of

by (prep.) – so as to go past

through (prep.) – from one side to the other

🚫 Antonyms

before (prep.) – in front of or earlier than

ahead of (prep.) – in advance of