past
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++past1 /pɑːst $ pæst/ ●●● S1 W1 adjective 1 previous 以前的 [only before noun]PAST done, used, or experienced before now 以前的，过去的，曾经的 Judging by her past performance, Jane should do very well. 从以往的表现来看，简应该会干得很好。 From past experience she knew that it was no use arguing with him. 根据过去的经验，她知道和他争论是没有用的。 Study some past exam papers to get an idea of the questions. 仔细看看以前的一些考卷，了解一下考题。2 recent 最近的PAST [only before noun] used to refer to a period up until now 刚过去的 the events of the past year 过去一年中发生的事件 During the past two weeks, 12 people have died of the disease. 过去两周内已有12人死于这种疾病。 She has been feeling tired for the past few days. 这些天来她一直感到疲倦。3 finished 完成的FINISH/COME TO AN END finished or having come to an end 完成的；结束的 Winter is past and spring has come at last. 冬天过去，春天终于来临。 writers from past centuries 前几个世纪的作家 a tradition rooted in times long past 起源于很久以前的传统4 former 以往的PAST [only before noun] having held a particular position in the past or achieved a particular honour in the past 前任的；〔荣誉〕以往的past president/member/winner etc a past president of the golf club 这家高尔夫俱乐部的前任会长 a celebration for past and present employees of the newspaper 为该报社的前雇员和现雇员举办的庆祝会 Bruce Jenner, a past Olympic champion 布鲁斯‧詹纳，前奥运会冠军5. grammar 语法 [only before noun]SLG relating to the past tense 〔动词〕过去式的
Examples from the Corpus
past• the enormous changes of the past 30 years• The problems we face now are a result of past decisions.• We knew from past experience that the job would take at least two weeks.• He's learned a lot from his past experience.• The past few months have been very difficult for Mary.• Productivity improvements over the past five years, admittedly from a very low base, have been highly impressive.• The time is past for us to continue ignoring our differences.• Judging by her past performance, I'd say Rowena will do very well.• Groups have put a lot into past projects, and have always seen an excellent result.• the past tense• For the past two weeks, I've been doing my boss's job while she's away on business.• Trafford education authority has received about £13 million in the past two years to help it reorganise and improve its schools.long past• The statement, sympathetic but faintly condescending, was suited to an era of comity already long past.• When Paige awoke it was still early, not long past dawn, and she was alone in the sleeping-bag.• The result - heavy industry and low value added production kept going long past its time, ineffectually, by subsidy.• It was long past sundown when I finally continued on back to the cabin, trotting up the path in the moonlight.• Early November was long past tourist season, and he did not look like a logger.• This may be evidence of some long past wine chilling exercise.past president/member/winner etc• By contrast, some past winners have lamented that the prize diverts them from their beloved lab work.• Husband Don is a past president of both the U.S.• He was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity and was a past president of the fraternity.• He is past President of the Hairdressers Fellowship and in the 50's was a leading competition hairdresser.• He was also a past president of the National Hellenic Research Foundation.• Her husband, Jack, was a past president of the Parish Council.past2 ●●● S1 W2 preposition, adverb 1 later than a particular time 晚于；在…之后 It’s ten past nine. 现在是九点十分。 I should be finished by half past (=30 minutes after the hour). 我应该可以在30分钟之后完成。 It was past midnight when the party ended. 派对结束的时候已经过了午夜。 Come on Annie, it’s long past your bedtime. 快点，安妮，早就过了你的上床时间了。2 AFTERfurther than a particular place 在…的更远处 The hospital’s just up this road, about a mile past the school. 医院就在这条路上，经过学校再往前约一英里。 There are parking spaces over there, just past (=a little further than) the garage. 那边有停车位，就在那个车库过去一点的地方。3 PASS/GO PASTup to and beyond a person or place, without stopping 经过，越过 She waved as she drove past. 她开车经过的时候挥了挥手。 Will you be going past my house on your way home? 你回家的路上会经过我家吗？straight/right past (=used to emphasize that someone passes close to you and does not stop) 径直经过〔强调经过但没有停留〕 Monica hurried straight past me and down the steps. 莫妮卡从我身边匆匆经过，走下了台阶。4 PASS/TIME PASSINGif a period of time goes past, it passes 〔一段时间〕过去5 beyond or no longer at a particular point or stage 过了，不再处于〔某一点或某一阶段〕6 I wouldn’t put it past somebody (to do something) spokenTYPICAL used to say that you would not be surprised if someone did something bad or unusual because it is typical of them to do that type of thing 我认为某人很有可能（做某事）〔指坏事或不寻常的事〕7 past it British English spoken too old to be able to do what you used to do, or too old to be useful 〔人〕比不上年轻时；〔物〕太旧而无用8. be past due American English something that is past due has not been paid or done by the time it should have been 〔某物〕到期未付款[未做]Examples from the Corpus
past• It's quarter past four.• It's ten past nine.• My house is four blocks past the main intersection.• You drive past the stadium on your way to work, don't you?• It's half past two.• Come on Annie, it's past your bedtime.long past• The statement, sympathetic but faintly condescending, was suited to an era of comity already long past.• When Paige awoke it was still early, not long past dawn, and she was alone in the sleeping-bag.• The result - heavy industry and low value added production kept going long past its time, ineffectually, by subsidy.• It was long past sundown when I finally continued on back to the cabin, trotting up the path in the moonlight.• Early November was long past tourist season, and he did not look like a logger.• This may be evidence of some long past wine chilling exercise.just past• He began to diminish the moment just past.• Might a nostalgia have overtaken him, a yearning for a sweeter time just past?• It was a Monday night, just past dinner, and he was wearing plaid slippers.• Lemmon, located just past Mile Marker 22 on the left-hand side.• In the national betting holiday just past, teen-agers were full players in the spree.• There's a movie theater just past the bank.• Ignore the ladder and go to the door just past the policeman.• The race finishes just past Westminster Bridge.straight/right past• If he'd driven at 40 miles an hour he would have driven straight past.• Only Hsu Fu had sailed right past.• Kip walks right past him and his audience, still ahead of me by a few paces.• I chugged right past the doorman and into the elevator.• If he had braked at the collision he would have slid straight past the scene.• They amble straight past us, unawares.• It looks to me like this team is looking right past you.well past• We must be well past Malmesbury by this time, Isabel thought.• They usually return well past midnight, a little disheveled, singing or talking loudly.• The lock would turn over and Kip would come in well past midnight.• We have enough random violence to keep us busy well past the End Days.• That set us apart from the other customers, who looked to have gotten well past the planning stage.• When I awake, it is well past three.• It was dark outside and well past your bedtime.past3 ●●● S1 W2 noun 1 the past 2 all in the past spokenFINISH/COME TO AN END used to say that an unpleasant experience has ended and can be forgotten 一切都已过去了3 PAST[singular] the past life or existence of someone or something 〔某人或某事〕过去的经历n COLLOCATIONSadjectivesthe recent pastThe optimistic economic climate of the recent past has gone.the distant/remote pastRivers of molten lava clearly flowed here in the distant past.the immediate past (=the very recent past)In order to understand the present, we must look at the immediate past.verbsforget the pastForget the past and focus on the future.be living in the past (=think only about the past)You’ve got to stop living in the past.phrasesbe/become a thing of the past (=not exist anymore, or stop existing)We hope that smoking will become a thing of the past.a break with the past (=when something is done in a completely different way to how it was done in the past)These policies are a break with the past.in the dim and distant past (=a very long time ago)I think she sang Ireland's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest sometime in the dim and distant past.n THESAURUSin the past at a time before now, especially a long time agoIn the past, most children didn’t go to school at all.We had a big argument, but it’s all in the past now.in those days/in the old days a long time ago in your life, or in your parents’ or grandparents’ lives, when things were different£5 was a lot of money in those days.In the old days, only very rich people had cars.at one time used for saying that something was true in the past, but is not nowAt one time there were six schools in the village.I would have agreed with you at one time.back in the day informal used when you are talking about a time in the past, especially one that you remember as being very goodI loved Blondie back in the day.Back in the day, everyone would meet at the boys’ club.Examples from the Corpus
past• She'd like to forget her past and start over.• There were certain facts about his past that could hurt his chances of being elected.• We have encoded and used versions of them from the past we study.• This approach is no more valid today than it has been in the past.• That has always stood me in good stead in the past.• In the past, women with these symptoms rarely sought treatment, and women with severe cases were hospitalized.• But not if policy makers insist on fighting the battles of the past.• Candidates can not revise their own historic record with the same impunity before a population that has power to retrieve the past.shady past• He is generally unmarried, even though he may have had a shady past which included associating with women.• She may have a shady past, but she knows an incriminating thing or two about everyone, including Georges and Catherine.Origin past1 (1200-1300) Old past participle of passpast1 adjectivepast2 prepositionpast3 noun →n COLLOCATIONS1 →n THESAURUS1LDOCE OnlineChinese
now used, done, or experienced Corpus before
past
past1 S1 W1 /pɑːst $ pæst/ 
adjective
Judging by her past performance, Jane should do very well.
From past experience she knew that it was no use arguing with him.
Study some past exam papers to get an idea of the questions.
2. RECENT [only before noun] used to refer to a period up until now:
the events of the past year
During the past two weeks, 12 people have died of the disease.
She has been feeling tired for the past few days.
3. FINISHED finished or having come to an end:
Winter is past and spring has come at last.
writers from past centuries
a tradition rooted in times long past
4. FORMER [only before noun] having held a particular position in the past or achieved a particular honour in the past
past president/member/winner etc
a past president of the golf club
a celebration for past and present employees of the newspaper
Bruce Jenner, a past Olympic champion
5. GRAMMAR [only before noun] relating to the past tense
past2 S1 W2 preposition, adverb
1. later than a particular time:
It’s ten past nine.
I should be finished by half past (=30 minutes after the hour).
It was past midnight when the party ended.
Come on Annie, it’s long past your bedtime.
2. further than a particular place:
The hospital’s just up this road, about a mile past the school.
There are parking spaces over there, just past (=a little further than) the garage.
3. up to and beyond a person or place, without stopping:
She waved as she drove past.
Will you be going past my house on your way home?
straight/right past (=used to emphasize that someone passes close to you and does not stop)
Monica hurried straight past me and down the steps.
4. if a period of time goes past, it passes:
Weeks went past without any news.
The hours seemed to fly past.
5. beyond or no longer at a particular point or stage:
The roses were already past their best.
Reid never really got past the stage of copying other artists.
a pot of yoghurt well past its sell-by date
an Italian singer who was then past her prime (=no longer strong and active)
I’m past caring about my appearance (=I do not care about it any more).
6. I wouldn’t put it past somebody (to do something) spoken used to say that you would not be surprised if someone did something bad or unusual because it is typical of them to do that type of thing:
I wouldn’t put it past Colin to cheat.
7. past it British English spoken too old to be able to do what you used to do, or too old to be useful:
People seem to think that just because I’m retired, I’m past it.
8. be past due American English something that is past due has not been paid or done by the time it should have been
past3 S1 W2 noun
1. the past
a. the time that existed before the present
in the past
The lake was smaller in the past.
Good manners have become a thing of the past (=something that does not exist any more).
It’s time she stopped living in the past (=thinking only about the past) and began to think about her future.
the recent/immediate/distant past
She allowed her mind to drift towards the recent past.
I did a law degree some time in the dim and distant past (=a long time ago).
b. the past tense
2. all in the past spoken used to say that an unpleasant experience has ended and can be forgotten:
You mustn’t think about it. It’s all in the past now.
3. [singular] the past life or existence of someone or something:
At some time in its past the church was rebuilt.
The woman who ran the bar had a very shady past (=events in her past which might be considered bad).
■ adjectives
▪the recent past The optimistic economic climate of the recent past has gone.
▪the distant/remote past Rivers of molten lava clearly flowed here in the distant past.
▪the immediate past (=the very recent past) In order to understand the present, we must look at the immediate past.
■ verbs
▪forget the past Forget the past and focus on the future.
▪be living in the past (=think only about the past) You’ve got to stop living in the past.
■ phrases
▪be/become a thing of the past (=not exist any more, or stop existing) We hope that smoking will become a thing of the past.
▪a break with the past (=when something is done in a completely different way to how it was done in the past) These policies are a break with the past.
▪in the dim and distant past (=a very long time ago) I think she sang Ireland's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest sometime in the dim and distant past.
▪ in the past at a time before now, especially a long time ago: In the past, most children didn’t go to school at all. | We had a big argument, but it’s all in the past now.
▪in those days/in the old days a long time ago in your life, or in your parents’ or grandparents’ lives, when things were different: £5 was a lot of money in those days. | In the old days, only very rich people had cars.
▪at one time used for saying that something was true in the past, but is not now: At one time there were six schools in the village. | I would have agreed with you at one time.
▪back in the day informal used when you are talking about a time in the past, especially one that you remember as being very good: I loved Blondie back in the day. | Back in the day, everyone would meet at the boys’ club.
| I |
adjective Date: 1200-1300
Origin: Old past participle of pass
1. PREVIOUS [only before noun] done, used, or experienced before now:Origin: Old past participle of pass
2. RECENT [only before noun] used to refer to a period up until now:
3. FINISHED finished or having come to an end:
4. FORMER [only before noun] having held a particular position in the past or achieved a particular honour in the past
past president/member/winner etc
5. GRAMMAR [only before noun] relating to the past tense
| II |
preposition, adverb1. later than a particular time:
2. further than a particular place:
3. up to and beyond a person or place, without stopping:
straight/right past (=used to emphasize that someone passes close to you and does not stop)
4. if a period of time goes past, it passes:
5. beyond or no longer at a particular point or stage:
6. I wouldn’t put it past somebody (to do something) spoken used to say that you would not be surprised if someone did something bad or unusual because it is typical of them to do that type of thing:
7. past it British English spoken too old to be able to do what you used to do, or too old to be useful:
8. be past due American English something that is past due has not been paid or done by the time it should have been
| III |
noun1. the past
a. the time that existed before the present
in the past
the recent/immediate/distant past
b. the past tense
2. all in the past spoken used to say that an unpleasant experience has ended and can be forgotten:
3. [singular] the past life or existence of someone or something:
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