Collocations for past - noun

immediate, recent | ancient, (dim and) distant, remote
Many modern festivals can be traced back to an ancient past. | It all happened in the distant past.

cling to, live in
We''re going to have to stop living in the past and invest in new technology if the firm is to survive.

belong in/to
Those memories belong to the past and I don''t want to think about them.

from the ~
Memories from the past came flooding back to him.

in the ~
I admit that I have made mistakes in the past.

into the ~
events stretching back many years into the past

of the ~
great artists of the past

be all in the past
Don''t worry about it - it''s all in the past now.

a break with the past
In an effort to make a complete break with the past, she sold everything and went abroad.

a glimpse of the past
The uncovering of the buried town gives us a unique glimpse of the past.

a link with the past
The old market is a living link with the past, unchanged for hundreds of years.

nostalgia for the past, a thing of the past
a new device that makes such problems a thing of the past

historic, historical | colourful, rich | chequered, murky, sordid | criminal | glorious, illustrious
Few remnants remain of the city''s glorious past.

cultural, political | ancestral, evolutionary | imperial, industrial

reflect on/upon | recapture
trying in vain to recapture his past

erase, escape from, put behind you, wipe out
Political parties cannot escape from their pasts any more than individuals can. | The counselling helped Dan to put the past behind him.

from your ~
ghosts from his past

in your ~
at some time in her past