around vs past

around

adv
  • From place to place. 

  • Used with verbs to indicate repeated or continuous action, or in numerous locations or with numerous people. 

  • So as to partially or completely rotate; so as to face in the opposite direction. 

  • From one state or condition to an opposite or very different one; with a metaphorical change in direction; bringing about awareness or agreement. 

  • Nearly; approximately; about. 

  • So as to surround or be near. 

  • So as to form a circle or trace a circular path, or approximation thereof. 

  • Used with certain verbs to suggest unproductive activity. 

prep
  • Forming a circle or closed curve containing (something). 

  • At or to various places within. 

  • Centred upon; surrounding. 

  • Following the perimeter of a specified area and returning to the starting point. 

  • Near; in the vicinity of. 

  • Following a path which curves near an object, with the object on the inside of the curve. 

adj
  • Present in the vicinity. 

  • Alive; existing. 

past

adv
  • In a direction that passes. 

adj
  • Of a period of time: having just gone by; previous. 

  • Having already happened; in the past; finished. 

  • Following expressions of time to indicate how long ago something happened; ago. 

  • Of a tense, expressing action that has already happened or a previously-existing state. 

prep
  • Beyond in place or quantity 

  • Any number of minutes after the last hour 

  • Having recovered or moved on from (a traumatic experience, etc.). 

  • No longer capable of. 

  • Passing by, especially without stopping or being delayed. 

noun
  • The period of time that has already happened, in contrast to the present and the future. 

  • The past tense. 

How often have the words around and past occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )