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“Passed” or “Past”

passed / past are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term.

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Definitions

What each term means

Same sound, different spellings and meanings, shown with a pronunciation guide for each term.

passed p·AE·s·t

  • verbgo across or through.
  • verbplace into the hands or custody of.
  • verbtravel past.
  • verbgo unchallenged; be approved.
  • verbgo successfully through a test or a selection process.
  • verbaccept or judge as acceptable.
  • verballow to go without comment or censure.
  • verbtransfer to another; of rights or property.
  • verbthrow (a ball) to another player.
  • verbcause to pass.

past p·AE·s·t

  • nounthe time that has elapsed.
  • nouna earlier period in someone's life (especially one that they have reason to keep secret).
  • nouna verb tense that expresses actions or states in the past.
  • adjectiveearlier than the present time; no longer current.
  • adjectiveof a person who has held and relinquished a position or office.
Usage

Examples in context

Real sentences for each spelling. Hover an example to copy it.

“passed”

  • …from a single gunshot that passed through her hand and neck,…
  • …claim that the term was passed down from the Middle Ages,…
  • Eaton admitted that he "passed by" the place where Ingham…
  • …the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each…
  • He passed studentexamen in 1929 and became…
  • …two plowlands, of Ballycarhy were passed in the Earl of Thomond’s…
  • …how intelligence reports were not passed on to those who needed…
  • …Baltic Sea and Western Europe passed.
  • …that killed Anni Dewani had passed through her left hand followed…
  • …(now KDFW) in Dallas, who passed along word from an official…

“past”

  • …death, Shou stays in the past with Champ to make the…
  • …encountered sometime later in the past when they crashed from an
  • …tells the Kyurangers about Tsurugi's past.
  • …League Baseball players from the past century.
  • I Wish The Past Was Different
  • …use as cores to resurrect past Super Sentai villains Basco Ta…
  • He is a past student of the Leonora Nursery…
  • …sides of his visor extended past his helmet to resemble bull
  • …one MP using the first past the post election system with…
  • …was originally lost in the past until Shishi Red met Orion's…

Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions are drawn from WordNet.

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