Past his prime or passed his prime?

Factual Questions
1

Logically it would seem to be “passed” as in his time has passed (him by) but most online sources seem to favor “past”.

Anyone know for sure?

Thanks,
Jain

2

Once a player has passed his prime, he’s past his prime.

3

He is past his prime (preposition), or he has passed his prime (verb with participle). The first is more idiomatic.

4

It is PAST his Prime?

Why?..Beause I said so. :smiley:

I can’t describe it using the proper language terms, but let’s break it down huh?

Passed, as in the past participle of pass, as in given / handed to to someone else. So if he PASSED his prime - who exactly did he give it to?

Past, as in “in the past” or “gone past” or “it is behind me”.
Prime referring to the “height of his strength”

So he has gone past the best period of his life (please don’t nitpick the definition of best ok?)

Or like it Past 12:00 - you wouldn’t say passed 12:00 would you?

5

We sometimes talk about someone being in his prime. If he’s no longer in his prime, he’s past his prime.

6

This argument won’t fly, because “pass” also means “to go past something, to move beyond”. I can say, for example, that I passed so-and-so on the street without recognizing him, or that I passed the exit I was supposed to take three miles back. Neither of those means that I gave or handed the object of the verb “passed” to somebody else.

So yes, it is perfectly grammatical to use the past participle of “pass” to say that somebody has passed his prime. It’s definitely more usual to say “he is past his prime” instead, as other posters have noted, but that doesn’t make the other usage wrong.

7

The “pass” in “passed his prime” is the verb, for example: He has passed his prime age of 35 years old.

“Past his prime” is an idiom, which means someone is older than their peak age, whatever that may be. “Past” is not a verb.