Collocations for past - noun
1. time before the present
ADJECTIVE
immediate,
recent
ancient, dim and distant (BrE), distant, remote
Many modern festivals can be traced back to an ancient past.
It all happened in the distant past.
ancient, dim and distant (BrE), distant, remote
Many modern festivals can be traced back to an ancient past.
It all happened in the distant past.
VERB + past
cling to,
live in,
relive
We're going to have to stop living in the past and invest in new technology if the company is to survive.
We're going to have to stop living in the past and invest in new technology if the company is to survive.
reconstruct,
recreate
Archaeology provides us with tools for reconstructing the past.
Archaeology provides us with tools for reconstructing the past.
erase,
forget
belong in, belong to
Those memories belong to the past and I don't want to think about them.
belong in, belong to
Those memories belong to the past and I don't want to think about them.
PREPOSITION
from the past
Memories from the past came flooding back to him.
Memories from the past came flooding back to him.
in the past
I admit that I have made mistakes in the past.
I admit that I have made mistakes in the past.
into the past
events stretching back many years into the past
events stretching back many years into the past
of the past
great artists of the past
great artists of the past
PHRASES
be all in the past
Don't worry about it—it's all in the past now.
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 went to live in Morocco.
In an effort to make a complete break with the past, she went to live in Morocco.
a glimpse of the past
The uncovering of the buried town gives us a unique 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.
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
a thing of the past
a new device that makes such problems a thing of the past
2. sb/sth's history
ADJECTIVE
historic (esp. BrE),
historical
forgotten
He was forced to confront his forgotten past.
forgotten
He was forced to confront his forgotten past.
colourful/colorful,
rich
chequered/checkered, murky (esp. BrE), painful, sordid, troubled
mysterious
criminal
glorious, illustrious (esp. BrE)
Few remnants remain of the city's glorious past.
chequered/checkered, murky (esp. BrE), painful, sordid, troubled
mysterious
criminal
glorious, illustrious (esp. BrE)
Few remnants remain of the city's glorious past.
cultural,
political
ancestral, evolutionary
colonial, imperial, industrial
These customs are a relic of the country's colonial past.
ancestral, evolutionary
colonial, imperial, industrial
These customs are a relic of the country's colonial past.
VERB + past
reflect on
recapture
He tried in vain to recapture his past.
recapture
He tried in vain to recapture his past.
erase,
escape from,
forget,
put behind you,
wipe out
Political parties cannot escape from their pasts any more than individuals can.
Therapy helped Dan put the past behind him.
Political parties cannot escape from their pasts any more than individuals can.
Therapy helped Dan put the past behind him.