Current vs. Past — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Current and Past
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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No longer current; gone by; over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
Past➦
Having existed or occurred in an earlier time; bygone
Past events.
In years past.
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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.
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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
