As with other homophones, words which sound alike, passed and past are often mixed even though they have very different meanings and functions. This post will help you identify which word to use in a particular sentence.
The term passed is the past and past participle form of the verb pass which means “to move or cause to move in a specified direction” or “go past or across; leave behind or on one side in proceeding.”
Past Tense:
“Senate Passed A Dumb And Dangerous Bill”
Huffington Post
Past Participle:
“A controversial new gravity hypothesis has passed its first test”
ScienceAlert
Meanwhile, the term past can be used as a noun, adjective, adverb and preposition but most of these uses relate to time. As a noun, it refers to “ the time or a period of time before the moment of speaking or writing.”
“The Guardian view on the colonial past: a German lesson for Britain”
The Guardian“Star-crossed? Lions must put missed calls in Dallas in past, get ready for Packers”
Yahoo Sports
Past as an adjective means “gone by in time and no longer existing.”
“Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce winter gala honors past president and rings in the new”
Brooklyn Daily Eagle“‘Mariah’s World’: Mariah Carey Opens Up About a Past Relationship That Made Her Feel Like ‘Rapunzel'”
Entertainment Tonight
As an adverb, it means “so as to pass from one side of something to the other.”
“Harden Helps Rockets Blow Past Suns; T-Wolves Trio Trump Hawks”
NBA India“Foye’s buzzer-beater lifts Brooklyn Nets past Charlotte Hornets”
Charlotte Observer
Past can also be used as a preposition denoting “to or on the further side of.”
“Is China’s Economy Past the Point of No Return?”
The National Interest Online“Could Cheick Tiote stay at Newcastle past the end of the January window? Rafa Benitez comments”
ChronicleLive
In order to avoid confusion, you must remember that the term past generally refers to time while passed refers to movement.