Meaning & use
past due date
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
After the deadline for paying, returning, or completing something.
Grammar: Used after a verb like 'be' or 'go': the bill is past due date; it went past due date.
Patterns
- be past due date
- go past due date
- past the due date
The library book is past due date, so I have to pay a fine.
Your electricity bill is past due date and may be cut off.
The assignment is past due date, but the teacher still accepted it.
Common combinations
- past due date on a bill
- There is a past due date on the bill, so pay soon.
- go past due date
- The project went past due date because of the storm.
- be past due date
- The rent is past due date; you must pay today.
Synonyms and how they differ
- overdue
- One word, used as an adjective: an overdue book. 'Past due date' is a phrase that usually follows 'be' or 'go'.
- late
- More general; can mean after the expected time, not always a specific deadline.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: past due date or due date?
past due date vs due date
'Due date' is the deadline itself; 'past due date' means the deadline has already passed.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
'Past due date' means the deadline has passed, so you must pay now. The other options wrongly suggest there is still time, that it was paid early, or that it is not late.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “past due date”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.