How to Use the past in a Sentence

the past

noun
Definition of the pastnext
  • Over the past five days, the field has grown from six to eight.
    — Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Aug. 2023
  • Once again a free safety set to fill the shoes of the great Steelers of the past.
    — Daniel Kohn, Spin, 6 Sep. 2023
  • In the past week alone, more than 800 shoppers have added the shirt to their carts.
    — Nicol Natale, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024
  • Auston Matthews has eighth points (five goals) in the past five games for the Leafs. ...
    — Detroit Free Press, 2 Apr. 2023
  • Even writing about him in the past tense doesn’t make sense.
    — Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Mar. 2024
  • In the past month alone, more than 1,000 shoppers have added it to their carts.
    — Nicol Natale, Peoplemag, 25 Nov. 2023
  • There are so many [mom] athletes in the past that just get tuned out.
    — Maya Davis, CNN, 28 July 2024
  • Meanwhile, shares of Uber are down almost 4% in the past month.
    — Michael Bloom, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2024
  • However, much of the procession looks of the present, not the past.
    — Victoria Murphy, Town & Country, 28 Apr. 2023
  • More than 500 shoppers have purchased it just in the past month.
    — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 18 May 2024
  • The artist had received treatment for cancer in the past.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 26 Nov. 2023
  • Dozens of restaurants have opened in Keller over the past five years, many of them local.
    — Kate Marijolovic, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 May 2024
  • Here are three of our most eye-catching stories from the past week.
    — Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 30 May 2024
  • In the past year, both Karol and Bunny have scored No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200.
    — Griselda Flores, Billboard, 27 Sep. 2023
  • And that is in a state that has gone through a decidedly red shift in the past few years.
    — Dante Chinni, NBC News, 13 Aug. 2023
  • But in the past year, there have been only three days in which the mercury fell further.
    — Martin Weil, Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2024
  • Springer has denied any plans to run for governor in the past.
    — Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 27 Apr. 2023
  • Arizona has the home field advantage, but that hasn’t helped them out for the past two games.
    — Bychris Morris, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2023
  • In the past, that kind of excuse would never have fooled her mother.
    — Nell Freudenberger, The New Yorker, 28 July 2024
  • For the past 40+ years, the Argos satellite system has been used to track wildlife movements across the globe.
    — Patrick Skerrett, STAT, 18 May 2024
  • In the past year, Hadid has moved to Texas and settled into her new home in Fort Worth.
    — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 May 2024
  • The stock, off more than 1% today, has fallen about 4% over the past six down sessions.
    — By hannah Miao, WSJ, 20 Oct. 2023
  • The arguments that people use in the past is something that doesn’t work.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 23 Feb. 2024
  • This will be the first time in the past four years that GM will not advertise during the Super Bowl.
    — Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 6 Jan. 2024
  • But over the past two years, rates have moved in the opposite direction.
    — Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024
  • Before Wednesday night's drawing, no one had matched the five white balls and red Powerball in the past 38 chances to win.
    — Alex Sundby, CBS News, 20 July 2023
  • In the past, phones had only one sound: the shrill, continuous ring of a landline.
    — Krystal Hur, CNN, 23 June 2024
  • In the past, lawmakers in these circumstances would vote from the edge of the Senate floor, with one foot still in the cloakroom.
    — Asher Notheis, Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2023
  • Florida has now been outscored 18-5 over the past three losses.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 22 June 2024
  • Its energy has been building over the past weekend and echoes throughout the days to come.
    — Kyle Thomas, Peoplemag, 18 Aug. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the past.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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