pass by
Britishverb
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(intr) to go or move past
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(tr, adverb) to overlook or disregard
to pass by difficult problems
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Proceed past something, as in If you pass by a white house, you've gone too far . [c. 1300]
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Also, pass over . Disregard, overlook, as in Just pass by the first few pages and you'll get to the basics , or Ralph was passed over for promotion . [1300s]
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.
She romantically contends that street food is an “impulse buy – you pass by it, and it smells good, so you buy it to eat quickly.”
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
"There is a local saying that if you put a camera at an intersection in Chongqing, every 30 seconds you'll see a motorcycle pass by," said Zhang Yuanming, a 29-year-old motorbike enthusiast and instructor.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
An observer will never see a nearby rocket ship pass by faster than light.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
Moments of anticipation pass by, but the rescuers hear nothing.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
The website should warn people about this: that to get there, you have to pass by the cops.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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.
