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

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

From Washington Times • Jan. 3, 2021

Europe and the United States, still feeling the effects of the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, have been trying to pass the hat for contributions from increasingly affluent middle-income countries, particularly China.

From New York Times • Dec. 9, 2015

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