noun
a verb tense that expresses actions or states in the past
• Syn: ↑past
• Hypernyms: ↑tense
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noun : a verb tense expressing action or state in or as if in the past:
a. : a verb tense expressive of time gone by (as wrote in “on arriving I wrote a letter”) — called also past absolute, past historic
b. : a verb tense expressing action or state in progress or continuance or habitually done or customarily occurring at a past time (as was writing in “I was writing while he dictated” or loved in “their sons loved fishing”) — called also past continuous, past descriptive
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past tense,
1. the verbal tense expressing time gone by, or a former action or condition. The past tense is used either without reference to the duration of action (called the simple past or preterit or past absolute:»
He ran a mile yesterday) or as being in progress, recurring, or habitual (called past progressive or imperfect: He was running a mile when he fell).
2. a verb form or verbal phrase in this tense.
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noun, pl ⋯ tenses [count]
grammar : a verb tense that is used to refer to the past
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the form of a verb used to describe actions in the past
•
The past tense of ‘take’ is ‘took’.
See also: ↑past
Useful english dictionary. 2012.