pass away

Idioms  

1. Also,. Die, as in He passed away last week, or After Grandma passes on we'll sell the land, or I hear he's about to pass over. All these terms are euphemisms for dying, although the verb pass alone as well as pass away have been used in the sense of “pass out of existence, die” since the 1300s. The two variants—adding on [c. 1800] and over [c. 1900]—allude to moving to some other-worldly realm.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pass away

“There’s so much life to live. We’re seeing many of our parents and our friends’ parents pass away, and it makes you realize that life can feel like a conveyor belt.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

They’re also in line to inherit a great deal of money in the coming years as older generations pass away, he noted.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

When his children pass away, he continues, maybe they’ll be buried on the moon, or on Mars.

From Slate ● May 8, 2026

I say people died when they, uh, pass away.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026

Her line of sight led straight to Drew, who was arguing with Erin a half-court bounce pass away.

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan

Related Words

• die
• expire
• perish
• succumb