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Synonyms

pass up

British  

verb

  1. informal to let go by; ignore

    I won't pass up this opportunity

  2. to take no notice of (someone)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
pass up Idioms  

  1. Let go by, reject, as in I can't believe Betty passed up the chocolate cake, or This opportunity is too good to pass up. [Colloquial; late 1800s]

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.

But the “Heated Rivalry” of it all provided an opportunity for reputational laundering nobody at NBC or with Team USA could pass up.

From Salon • Mar. 6, 2026

I’m not usually wowed by celebrities, but when I learned my idol, Dick Van Dyke, was taking photos with fans, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 2, 2026

This game against Wolves is too juicy to pass up and that makes Saka, Arsenal's best attacking player essential.

From BBC • Dec. 11, 2025

But she says Bay Collective is "everything she believes in" and she couldn't pass up the opportunity to be reunited with Cossington.

From BBC • Nov. 2, 2025

I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to support the crown jewel of Clover City.”

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

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.