passed
Americanadjective
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having completed the act of passing.
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having received a passing grade on an examination or test or successfully completed a school course, year, or program of study.
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Finance. noting a dividend not paid at the usual dividend date.
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U.S. Navy. having successfully completed an examination for promotion, and awaiting a vacancy in the next grade.
a passed chief engineer.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of passed
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; pass + -ed 2
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.
Passed by voters in 2018, the initiative dictates minimum space requirements for farm animals and—this is the clever part—forbids the sale of meat products that violate those standards in California.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
Passed in 2010, the law deemed them to be vital water reserves, and so prohibited any damaging commercial activity.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
Passed by the National Assembly in December, the law focuses on the risks posed by generative AI, requiring human oversight and control along the lines of the European Union's landmark AI Act.
From Barron's • Feb. 28, 2026
Passed in 1878, the act was designed to prevent the military from being used to support Jim Crow in the South.
From Salon • Sep. 4, 2025
“She was a good woman. Passed away too soon.”
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
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.
