pass the hat

Idioms  

1. Ask for financial contributions, as in Let's pass the hat so we can get her a nice going-away gift. This expression alludes to the actual practice of passing a hat around a gathering, but it is also used more figuratively, as in The board decided to pass the hat again among the corporate sponsors. [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

I’m trying to pass the hat around to my friends to meet margin calls.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

But critics say such loans are a symptom of a healthcare system under severe strain, with hospitals forced to pass the hat around the community.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

“So our idea was just kind of stop being such fuddy-duds and realize there’s a time to pass the hat, and that’s what we’ve done,” he says.

From Washington Post • Feb. 25, 2021

The owners were reluctant to pass the hat with an online fundraiser.

From Washington Times • Jan. 3, 2021

White benefactors supplied schoolbooks for their children—why not ask them to pass the hat for entire schools?

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Related Words

• award
• bequeath
• contribute
• devote
• give
• give away
• grant
• hand out
• present
• provide