past term

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "past term" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to refer to a previous academic term or period in an educational context. Example: "The grades from the past term will be available next week."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

21 human-written examples

Nevertheless, this past term provided many unexpected results.

The New York Times

Balancing the Risks If a pregnancy goes well past term, defined as 40 weeks for a singleton and 38 weeks for twins, the risk of stillbirth rises.

The New York Times - Health

Also, the trend toward closer scrutiny of Congressional legislation that impinges on state prerogatives -- the so-called federalism revolution -- continued unabated this past term.

The New York Times

He also said party instability was behind it now that a number of MLAs were retiring or had resigned over the past term.

The Guardian

Just before the end of the past term, the Court issued a decision, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, that signalled a complete departure from more than half a century of jurisprudence on race.

The New Yorker

He speculated that the Supreme Court would accept only that case and delay accepting the one from California especially because this past term, he said, had been so exhausting, involving health care and other momentous cases.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

37 human-written examples

"I thought last year I did as well as in past terms".

The New York Times

In the past, terms like "alternative country" and "roots rock" have tried to create some kind of continuity – without much effect.

The Guardian - Music

Asked about his outreach efforts, Mr. Brown cited his past terms as governor, a post he held from 1975 to 1983, noting that he had worked with César Chávez, the celebrated labor organizer, and appointed the first Latino to the State Supreme Court.

The New York Times

And not only that, but as we tap and swipe merrily past terms and conditions, our personal information is siphoned off to third parties so invisibly and incomprehensibly that we can easily ignore that it is happening.

The Guardian - Tech

Autoregressive terms (i.e., past terms of the ILI time series) were included if necessary in the final model to eliminate the autocorrelation of the residuals, a common problem in time-series data.

Emerging Infectious Diseases

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing about academic or political periods, use "past term" to clearly indicate a specific timeframe that has already concluded. This is especially helpful when comparing it to the current or upcoming term.

Common error

To avoid confusion, especially in contexts with multiple terms, clarify which "past term" you're referring to by specifying the academic year or semester. For instance, instead of just saying "past term", specify "the past spring term of 2024".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "past term" functions as a noun phrase, typically acting as an adjective modifying another noun. It specifies that the noun it modifies (e.g., grades, legislation) pertains to a previous or concluded term, as demonstrated in Ludwig examples.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

33%

Encyclopedias

6%

Less common in

Wiki

3%

Formal & Business

3%

Academia

3%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "past term" is a grammatically sound noun phrase that refers to a previous or concluded term, commonly used in academic, political, and professional contexts. Ludwig AI validates that this phrase is correct and usable. Although it is a common phrase, to avoid ambiguity, specifying dates or context is a best practice.

Alternatives such as "previous term" or "last term" may be used depending on the desired level of formality and specificity. Ludwig's examples reveal that this phrase is most frequently encountered in "News & Media" and "Science", indicating its utility in conveying temporal context in reporting and research.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

prior term

Uses 'prior' instead of 'past', offering a more formal alternative to indicate a preceding term.

preceding term

Similar to 'prior term', but might be used in more formal or legal contexts.

previous semester

Replaces 'term' with 'semester', specifying a common academic timeframe; applicable mostly to academic contexts.

last semester

Specifies the most immediately preceding semester, implying a very recent past period.

earlier term

Emphasizes that the term happened at an earlier time, without specifying how recent it was.

concluded term

Highlights the completion of the academic period, more formal than 'finished term'.

finished term

Focuses on the completion of the term rather than its position in time.

bygone term

More formal and less common, suggesting that the term is further in the past.

over term

Implies the end of a term or a term that has concluded.

past session

Uses the word session instead of term, for settings like a legislature or court.

FAQs

What does "past term" mean?

"Past term" refers to a term or session that has already occurred. It's commonly used in academic or political contexts to denote a previous period of activity or study.

How to use "past term" in a sentence?

You can use "past term" to refer to a prior period of study or governance. For example, "The results from the "past term" will be announced next week" or "The legislation was debated extensively during the "past term"".

What can I say instead of "past term"?

Alternatives include "previous term", "prior term", or "last term". The best choice depends on the specific context and the nuance you want to convey.

Is "past term" the same as "last term"?

While similar, ""last term"" usually refers to the most recent term, whereas ""past term"" can refer to any term in the past. The difference is subtle but can be important for clarity.