pass
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to move past; go by.
Make sure to use your turn signal when you pass another car on the road.
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to let go without notice, action, remark, etc.; leave unconsidered; disregard; overlook.
Pass chapter two and go on to chapter three.
- Synonyms:
- ignore
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to omit the usual or regular payment of.
The company decided to pass its dividend in the third quarter of the year.
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to cause or allow to go through or beyond a gate, barrier, etc..
The guard checked the identification papers and then passed the visitor.
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to go across or over (a stream, threshold, etc.); cross.
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to endure or undergo.
They passed the worst night of their lives.
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to undergo or complete successfully.
to pass an examination.
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to cause or permit to complete successfully (an investigation, examination, course of study, etc.).
I am passing the whole class this term.
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to go beyond (a point, degree, stage, etc.); transcend; exceed; surpass.
- Synonyms:
- excel
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to cause to go or extend farther.
to pass a rope through a hole.
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to cause to go, move, or march by.
to pass troops in review.
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to allot to oneself (a portion of time); spend.
He decided to pass a year abroad.
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to live through, utilize, or fill; occupy oneself during.
How to pass the time?
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to cause to circulate or spread; disseminate.
to pass rumors.
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to cause to be accepted or received.
to pass a worthless check.
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to convey, transfer, or transmit; deliver (often followed byon ).
Pass this memo on after reading it.
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to convey from one person, hand, etc., to another.
Please pass the salt.
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to pledge.
to pass one's word of honor to remain loyal.
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to utter, pronounce, or speak.
She passed a remark about every passerby.
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to cause to go through something, as a process or agency.
to pass returning travelers through customs.
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to discharge or void from the body, as excrement or a kidney stone.
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to sanction or approve, especially by vote.
Congress passed the bill.
- Synonyms:
- enact
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to obtain the approval or sanction of (a legislative body, committee, etc.), especially by a vote.
The bill passed Congress on the second vote.
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to express or pronounce, as an opinion.
to pass judgment without knowing the facts.
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Law. to place legal title or interest in (another) by a conveyance, a will, or other transfer.
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(in feats of magic) to perform a pass on.
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Tennis. to make a passing shot against (an opponent).
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Sports. to transfer (the ball or puck) to a teammate.
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Bullfighting. (of a bullfighter) to provoke and guide the charge of (a bull) with the capa or especially the muleta.
verb (used without object)
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to go or move onward; proceed.
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to come to or toward, then go beyond.
to pass by a shop;
to pass through town.
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to go away; depart.
The dizzy feeling will pass in a minute.
- Synonyms:
- leave
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to elapse or slip by; be spent.
The day passed very quickly for him.
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to come to an end.
The crisis soon passed.
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to die.
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What passed while I was on vacation?
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to go by or move past.
The funeral procession passed slowly.
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to go about or circulate; be current.
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to serve as a marginally acceptable substitute.
The facsimile isn't very good but it will pass.
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to live or be known as a member of a racial, religious, or ethnic group other than one's own, especially to live and be known as a white person although of Black ancestry.
James Weldon Johnson's Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is about the life of a Black man who passes as white.
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to be perceived as a gender other than the one assigned at birth, especially as a cisgender member of one's self-identified gender.
I'm not really comfortable using the women's restroom unless I'm certain I pass.
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to be perceived as a particular gender.
I'm still at the stage of being excited when I pass as male.
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to be transferred or conveyed.
The crown passed to the king's nephew.
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to be interchanged, as between two persons.
Sharp words passed between them.
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to undergo transition or conversion.
to pass from a solid to a liquid state.
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to go or get through a barrier, test, course of study, etc., successfully.
Of the twenty who took the exam, only twelve passed.
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to go unheeded, unchallenged, or unremarked on.
He decided to let the insult pass.
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to express or pronounce an opinion, judgment, verdict, etc. (usually followed by on orupon ).
Will you pass on the authenticity of this drawing?
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to be voided, as excrement or a kidney stone.
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to obtain the vote of approval or sanction of a legislative body, official committee, or the like.
The new tax bill finally passed.
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Law.
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(of a member of an inquest or other deliberative body) to sit (usually followed by on orupon ).
to pass on a case of manslaughter.
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to adjudicate.
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to vest title or other legal interest in real or personal property in a new owner.
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to throw a ball from one person to another, as in a game of catch.
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Sports. to make a pass, as in football or ice hockey.
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Cards.
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to forgo one's opportunity to bid, play, etc.
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to throw in one's hand.
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Fencing Obsolete. to thrust or lunge.
noun
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an act of passing.
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a narrow route across a relatively low notch or depression in a mountain barrier.
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a road, channel, or other way providing a means of passage, as through an obstructed region or other barrier.
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a navigable channel, as at the mouth or in the delta of a river.
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a permission or license to pass, go, come, or enter.
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Military.
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a military document granting the right to cross lines or to enter or leave a military or naval base or building.
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written authority given a soldier to leave a station or duty for a specified period of time.
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a free ticket or permit.
two passes to a concert;
a railroad pass.
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Sports. the transfer of a ball or puck from one teammate to another.
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Baseball. base on balls.
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Fencing. a thrust or lunge.
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a single movement, effort, maneuver, etc..
He made a pass at the control tower of the enemy airfield.
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Informal. a gesture, action, or remark that is intended to be sexually inviting; amorous overture.
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Informal. a jab or poke with the arm, especially one that misses its mark.
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one passage of a tool over work or one passage of work through a machine.
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Cards. the act or statement of not bidding or raising another bid.
There have been two passes and now it's your bid.
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(in feats of magic)
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a passing of the hand over, along, or before anything.
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the transference or changing of objects by or as by sleight of hand; a manipulation, as of a juggler.
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a particular stage or state of affairs.
The economic situation had come to a dreadful pass.
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Chiefly British. the act of passing a university or school examination or course without honors or distinction.
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South African. reference book.
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Bullfighting. a pase.
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Archaic. a witty remark or thrust.
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Mining. an opening for delivering coal or ore to a lower level underground.
verb phrase
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pass for / as to be accepted as; be considered.
material that passed for silk;
The candidate could pass as Latino or Anglo, appealing to both constituencies.
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pass off
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to present or offer (something) under false pretenses; dispose of deceptively.
to pass off a spurious de Kooning on a gullible buyer.
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to cause to be accepted or received under a false identity.
He passed himself off as a doctor.
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to cease gradually; end.
The headache passed off in the late afternoon.
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to disregard or ignore.
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to continue to completion; occur.
The meeting passed off without incident.
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pass up to refuse or neglect to take advantage of; reject.
The opportunity may not come again, so don't pass it up.
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pass away
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to die.
He passed away during the night.
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to cease; end.
All this trouble will pass away.
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pass along / through to add (incurred extra costs or expenses) to the amount charged a client or customer.
Airlines were passing along the sudden increase in fuel prices.
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pass over
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to disregard; ignore.
Just pass over the first part of his letter.
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to fail to take notice of, consider, or choose.
He was passed over for the promotion.
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pass on to die.
The patient passed on after a long illness.
idioms
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pass muster. muster.
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bring to pass, to cause to happen; bring about.
His wife's death brought to pass a change in his attitude toward religion.
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come to pass, to occur; happen.
Strange things came to pass.
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pass out,
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to lose consciousness; faint.
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to die; pass away.
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to distribute, especially individually by hand.
to pass out discount coupons on a street corner.
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to walk or march out or through; leave or exit by means of.
The graduates will pass out the center aisle after receiving their diplomas. Pass out this door and turn left.
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to be exempted or promoted from.
Jerry passed out of freshman composition on the basis of his entering essay.
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noun
abbreviation
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passenger.
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passim.
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passive.
verb
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to go onwards or move by or past (a person, thing, etc)
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to run, extend, or lead through, over, or across (a place)
the route passes through the city
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to go through or cause to go through (an obstacle or barrier)
to pass a needle through cloth
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to move or cause to move onwards or over
he passed his hand over her face
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(tr) to go beyond or exceed
this victory passes all expectation
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to gain or cause to gain an adequate or required mark, grade, or rating in (an examination, course, etc)
the examiner passed them all
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to elapse or allow to elapse
we passed the time talking
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to spend time amicably with someone, esp in chatting, with no particular purpose
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(intr) to take place or happen
what passed at the meeting?
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to speak or exchange or be spoken or exchanged
angry words passed between them
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to spread or cause to spread
we passed the news round the class
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to transfer or exchange or be transferred or exchanged
the bomb passed from hand to hand
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(intr) to undergo change or transition
to pass from joy to despair
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to transfer or be transferred by inheritance
the house passed to the younger son
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to agree to or sanction or to be agreed to or receive the sanction of a legislative body, person of authority, etc
the assembly passed 10 resolutions
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(tr) (of a legislative measure) to undergo (a procedural stage) and be agreed
the bill passed the committee stage
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to pronounce or deliver (judgment, findings, etc)
the court passed sentence
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to go or allow to go without comment or censure
the intended insult passed unnoticed
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(intr) to opt not to exercise a right, as by not answering a question or not making a bid or a play in card games
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physiol to discharge (urine, faeces, etc) from the body
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to urinate
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(intr) to come to an end or disappear
his anger soon passed
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(intr; usually foll by for or as) to be likely to be mistaken for or accepted as (someone or something else)
you could easily pass for your sister
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(intr; foll by away, on, or over) a euphemism for die 1
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(tr) to fail to declare (a dividend)
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(intr; usually foll by on or upon) (of a court, jury, etc) to sit in judgment; adjudicate
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sport to hit, kick, or throw (the ball) to another player
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archaic to cause to happen
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to happen
noun
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the act of passing
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a route through a range of mountains where the summit is lower or where there is a gap between peaks
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( capital as part of a name )
the Simplon Pass
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a way through any difficult region
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a permit, licence, or authorization to do something without restriction
she has a pass to visit the museum on Sundays
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a document allowing entry to and exit from a military installation
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a document authorizing leave of absence
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the passing of a college or university examination to a satisfactory standard but not as high as honours
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( as modifier ) Compare honours
a pass degree
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a dive, sweep, or bombing or landing run by an aircraft
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a motion of the hand or of a wand as a prelude to or part of a conjuring trick
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informal an attempt, in words or action, to invite sexual intimacy (esp in the phrase make a pass at )
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a state of affairs or condition, esp a bad or difficult one (esp in the phrase a pretty pass )
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sport the transfer of a ball from one player to another
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fencing a thrust or lunge with a sword
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bridge the act of passing (making no bid)
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bullfighting a variant of pase
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archaic a witty sally or remark
interjection
abbreviation
Related Words
See die 1.
Other Word Forms
- outpass verb (used with object)
- passless adjective
- subpass noun
Etymology
Origin of pass
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb passen, from Old French passer, from unattested Vulgar Latin passāre, derivative of Latin passus “step, pace”; noun derivative of verb; pace 1;
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
With 1:06 remaining in the second quarter, Doncic drove into the paint to fire a two-handed overhead pass to Luke Kennard for a corner three.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026
“Nothing could be worse. Every time we pass on a price increase to our customers, the price of aluminum goes up even more,” Reitnouer, the CEO of the Reading, Pa. company, said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
The key waterway normally sees a fifth of the world's energy supplies pass through it, much of it bound for Asia.
From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026
So rather than pass the billions of dollars in tariff costs along to consumers, carmakers have chosen to absorb the blow.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026
“Ah, now this I never leave behind, Karli. I never go anywhere without it. Can you pass it to me? This is what I wanted to show you.”
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
