past tense
Americannoun
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(in English) the simple past.
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any verb formation or construction used to express an action or state occurring in the past, such as, in English, the past progressive, present perfect, and pluperfect tenses.
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an instance or form of a specific verb expressing a past action or state.
Etymology
Origin of past tense
First recorded in 1650–60
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While it is still difficult for Kumar to refer to his daughter in the past tense, he said Grace was behind his motivation to keep pursuing accountability.
From BBC
It is painful to have to write about Catherine O’Hara, so alive and lively a presence, in the past tense.
From Los Angeles Times
Your brother uses past tense when speaking of your mother.
From Literature
But why, she wondered, was this beloved hometown mentioned only in the past tense?
How many words does Ellie have now, not counting like the past tense of a verb or something?
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
