Current vs. Past — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Current and Past
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Compare with Definitions
Current
Belonging to the present time; happening or being used or done now
Keep abreast of current events
I started my current job in 2001
Past
The past is the set of all events that occurred before a given point in time. The past is contrasted with and defined by the present and the future.
Current
A body of water or air moving in a definite direction, especially through a surrounding body of water or air in which there is less movement
Ocean currents
Past
No longer current; gone by; over
His youth is past.
Current
A flow of electricity which results from the ordered directional movement of electrically charged particles
This completes the circuit so that a current flows to the lamp
Magnetic fields are produced by currents flowing in the cables
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Past
Having existed or occurred in an earlier time; bygone
Past events.
In years past.
Current
The general tendency or course of events or opinion
The student movement formed a distinct current of protest
Past
Earlier than the present time; ago
40 years past.
Current
Belonging to the present time; present-day
Current events.
Current leaders.
My current address.
Past
Just gone by or elapsed
In the past few days.
Current
Being in progress now
Current negotiations.
Past
Having served formerly in a given capacity, especially an official one
A past president.
A past inmate of a cell.
Current
Commonly accepted or used; prevalent
Current fashions.
Current technology.
Past
(Grammar) Of, relating to, or being a verb tense or form used to express an action or condition prior to the time it is expressed.
Current
Passing from one to another; circulating, as money or a rumor
Current bills and coins.
Past
The time before the present.
Current
Running; flowing.
Past
Previous background, career, experiences, and activities
An elderly person with a distinguished past.
Current
A steady, smooth onward flow or movement
A current of air from a fan.
A current of spoken words.
Past
A former period of someone's life kept secret or thought to be shameful
A family with a checkered past.
Current
The part of a body of liquid or gas that has a continuous onward movement
Rowed out into the river's swift current.
Past
The past tense.
Current
A general tendency, movement, or course.
Past
A verb form in the past tense.
Current
A flow of electric charge.
Past
So as to pass by or go beyond
He waved as he walked past.
Current
The amount of electric charge flowing past a specified circuit point per unit time, usually expressed in amperes.
Past
Beyond in time; later than or after
Past midnight.
A quarter past two.
Current
The generally unidirectional movement of a gas or fluid.
Past
Beyond in position; farther than
The house is a mile past the first stoplight. They walked past the memorial in silence.
Current
The part of a fluid that moves continuously in a certain direction, especially (oceanography) nocap=a.
Past
Beyond the power, scope, extent, or influence of
The problem is past the point of resolution.
Current
(electricity) the amount of electric charge flowing in each unit of time.
Past
Beyond in development or appropriateness
The child is past drinking from a bottle. You're past sucking your thumb, so don't do it.
Current
A tendency or a course of events
Past
Beyond the number or amount of
The child couldn't count past 20. See Usage Note at pass.
Current
Existing or occurring at the moment.
Current events
Current leaders
Current negotiations
Past
The period of time that has already happened, in contrast to the present and the future.
A book about a time machine that can transport people back into the past
Current
Generally accepted, used, practiced, or prevalent at the moment.
Current affairs
Current bills and coins
Current fashions
Past
(grammar) The past tense.
Current
(India) Electric; of or relating to electricity.
Current bill
Current shock
Past
Having already happened; in the past; finished.
Past glories
Current
(obsolete) Running or moving rapidly.
Past
(postmodifier) Following expressions of time to indicate how long ago something happened; ago.
Current
Running or moving rapidly.
Like the current fire, that rennethUpon a cord.
To chase a creature that was current thenIn these wild woods, the hart with golden horns.
Past
Of a period of time: having just gone by; previous.
During the past year
Current
Now passing, as time; as, the current month.
Past
(grammar) Of a tense, expressing action that has already happened or a previously-existing state.
Past tense
Current
Passing from person to person, or from hand to hand; circulating through the community; generally received; common; as, a current coin; a current report; current history.
That there was current money in Abraham's time is past doubt.
Your fire-new stamp of honor is scarce current.
His current value, which is less or more as men have occasion for him.
Past
In a direction that passes.
I watched him walk past
Current
Commonly estimated or acknowledged.
Past
Beyond in place or quantity
The room past mine
Count past twenty
What's the time? - It's now quarter past twelve midday (or 12.15pm).
Current
Fitted for general acceptance or circulation; authentic; passable.
O Buckingham, now do I play the touchTo try if thou be current gold indeed.
Past
No longer capable of.
I'm past caring what he thinks of me.
Current
A flowing or passing; onward motion. Hence: A body of fluid moving continuously in a certain direction; a stream; esp., the swiftest part of it; as, a current of water or of air; that which resembles a stream in motion; as, a current of electricity.
Two such silver currents, when they join,Do glorify the banks that bound them in.
The surface of the ocean is furrowed by currents, whose direction . . . the navigator should know.
Past
Having recovered or moved on from (a traumatic experience, etc.).
Current
General course; ordinary procedure; progressive and connected movement; as, the current of time, of events, of opinion, etc.
Past
Passing by, especially without stopping or being delayed.
Ignore them, we'll play past them.
Please don't drive past the fruit stand, I want to stop there.
Current
A flow of electricity through a conductor;
The current was measured in amperes
Past
(obsolete) pass
Current
A steady flow (usually from natural causes);
The raft floated downstream on the current
He felt a stream of air
Past
Of or pertaining to a former time or state; neither present nor future; gone by; elapsed; ended; spent; as, past troubles; past offences.
Current
Dominant course (suggestive of running water) of successive events or ideas;
Two streams of development run through American history
Stream of consciousness
The flow of thought
The current of history
Past
A former time or state; a state of things gone by.
The present is only intelligible in the light of the past, often a very remote past indeed.
Current
Occurring in or belonging to the present time;
Current events
The current topic
Current negotiations
Current psychoanalytic theories
The ship's current position
Past
Beyond, in position, or degree; further than; beyond the reach or influence of.
Until we be past thy borders.
Love, when once past government, is consequently past shame.
Past
Beyond, in time; after; as, past the hour.
Is it not past two o'clock?
Past
Above; exceeding; more than.
Not past three quarters of a mile.
Bows not past three quarters of a yard long.
Past
By; beyond; as, he ran past.
The alarum of drums swept past.
Past
The time that has elapsed;
Forget the past
Past
A earlier period in someone's life (especially one that they have reason to keep secret);
Reporters dug into the candidate's past
Past
A verb tense that expresses actions or states in the past
Past
Earlier than the present time; no longer current;
Time past
His youth is past
This past Thursday
The past year
The present leader
Articles for present use
The present topic
The present system
Present observations
Past
Of a person who has held and relinquished a position or office;
A retiring member of the board
Past
A verb tense or other construction referring to events or states that existed at some previous time;
Past participle
Past
So as to pass a given point;
Every hour a train goes past
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