pass
verb (used with object)
to move past; go by.
pass
1 American
[pas]
/ pæs /
verb (used with object)
-
passes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
passed,
past participle, past
-
passing
present participle
-
to move past; go by.
Make sure to use your turn signal when you pass another car on the road.
-
to let go without notice, action, remark, etc.; leave unconsidered; disregard; overlook.
Pass chapter two and go on to chapter three.
- Synonyms:
- ignore
-
to omit the usual or regular payment of.
The company decided to pass its dividend in the third quarter of the year.
-
to cause or allow to go through or beyond a gate, barrier, etc..
The guard checked the identification papers and then passed the visitor.
-
to go across or over (a stream, threshold, etc.); cross.
-
to endure or undergo.
They passed the worst night of their lives.
-
to undergo or complete successfully.
to pass an examination.
-
to cause or permit to complete successfully (an investigation, examination, course of study, etc.).
I am passing the whole class this term.
-
to go beyond (a point, degree, stage, etc.); transcend; exceed; surpass.
- Synonyms:
- excel
-
to cause to go or extend farther.
to pass a rope through a hole.
-
to cause to go, move, or march by.
to pass troops in review.
-
to allot to oneself (a portion of time); spend.
He decided to pass a year abroad.
-
to live through, utilize, or fill; occupy oneself during.
How to pass the time?
-
to cause to circulate or spread; disseminate.
to pass rumors.
-
to cause to be accepted or received.
to pass a worthless check.
-
to convey, transfer, or transmit; deliver (often followed byon ).
Pass this memo on after reading it.
-
to convey from one person, hand, etc., to another.
Please pass the salt.
-
to pledge.
to pass one's word of honor to remain loyal.
-
to utter, pronounce, or speak.
She passed a remark about every passerby.
-
to cause to go through something, as a process or agency.
to pass returning travelers through customs.
-
to discharge or void from the body, as excrement or a kidney stone.
-
to sanction or approve, especially by vote.
Congress passed the bill.
- Synonyms:
- enact
-
to obtain the approval or sanction of (a legislative body, committee, etc.), especially by a vote.
The bill passed Congress on the second vote.
-
to express or pronounce, as an opinion.
to pass judgment without knowing the facts.
-
Law. to place legal title or interest in (another) by a conveyance, a will, or other transfer.
-
(in feats of magic) to perform a pass on.
-
Tennis. to make a passing shot against (an opponent).
-
Sports. to transfer (the ball or puck) to a teammate.
-
Bullfighting. (of a bullfighter) to provoke and guide the charge of (a bull) with the capa or especially the muleta.
verb (used without object)
-
passes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
passed,
past participle, past
-
passing
present participle
-
to go or move onward; proceed.
-
to come to or toward, then go beyond.
to pass by a shop;
to pass through town.
-
to go away; depart.
The dizzy feeling will pass in a minute.
- Synonyms:
- leave
-
to elapse or slip by; be spent.
The day passed very quickly for him.
-
to come to an end.
The crisis soon passed.
-
to die.
-
What passed while I was on vacation?
-
to go by or move past.
The funeral procession passed slowly.
-
to go about or circulate; be current.
-
to serve as a marginally acceptable substitute.
The facsimile isn't very good but it will pass.
-
to live or be known as a member of a racial, religious, or ethnic group other than one's own, especially to live and be known as a white person although of Black ancestry.
James Weldon Johnson's Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is about the life of a Black man who passes as white.
-
-
to be perceived as a gender other than the one assigned at birth, especially as a cisgender member of one's self-identified gender.
I'm not really comfortable using the women's restroom unless I'm certain I pass.
-
to be perceived as a particular gender.
I'm still at the stage of being excited when I pass as male.
-
-
to be transferred or conveyed.
The crown passed to the king's nephew.
-
to be interchanged, as between two persons.
Sharp words passed between them.
-
to undergo transition or conversion.
to pass from a solid to a liquid state.
-
to go or get through a barrier, test, course of study, etc., successfully.
Of the twenty who took the exam, only twelve passed.
-
to go unheeded, unchallenged, or unremarked on.
He decided to let the insult pass.
-
to express or pronounce an opinion, judgment, verdict, etc. (usually followed by on orupon ).
Will you pass on the authenticity of this drawing?
-
to be voided, as excrement or a kidney stone.
-
to obtain the vote of approval or sanction of a legislative body, official committee, or the like.
The new tax bill finally passed.
-
Law.
-
(of a member of an inquest or other deliberative body) to sit (usually followed by on orupon ).
to pass on a case of manslaughter.
-
to adjudicate.
-
to vest title or other legal interest in real or personal property in a new owner.
-
-
to throw a ball from one person to another, as in a game of catch.
-
Sports. to make a pass, as in football or ice hockey.
-
Cards.
-
to forgo one's opportunity to bid, play, etc.
-
to throw in one's hand.
-
-
Fencing Obsolete. to thrust or lunge.
noun
-
passes
plural
-
an act of passing.
-
a narrow route across a relatively low notch or depression in a mountain barrier.
-
a road, channel, or other way providing a means of passage, as through an obstructed region or other barrier.
-
a navigable channel, as at the mouth or in the delta of a river.
-
a permission or license to pass, go, come, or enter.
-
Military.
-
a military document granting the right to cross lines or to enter or leave a military or naval base or building.
-
written authority given a soldier to leave a station or duty for a specified period of time.
-
-
a free ticket or permit.
two passes to a concert;
a railroad pass.
-
Sports. the transfer of a ball or puck from one teammate to another.
-
Baseball. base on balls.
-
Fencing. a thrust or lunge.
-
a single movement, effort, maneuver, etc..
He made a pass at the control tower of the enemy airfield.
-
Informal. a gesture, action, or remark that is intended to be sexually inviting; amorous overture.
-
Informal. a jab or poke with the arm, especially one that misses its mark.
-
one passage of a tool over work or one passage of work through a machine.
-
Cards. the act or statement of not bidding or raising another bid.
There have been two passes and now it's your bid.
-
(in feats of magic)
-
a passing of the hand over, along, or before anything.
-
the transference or changing of objects by or as by sleight of hand; a manipulation, as of a juggler.
-
-
a particular stage or state of affairs.
The economic situation had come to a dreadful pass.
-
Chiefly British. the act of passing a university or school examination or course without honors or distinction.
-
South African. reference book.
-
Bullfighting. a pase.
-
Archaic. a witty remark or thrust.
-
Mining. an opening for delivering coal or ore to a lower level underground.
verb phrase
-
pass for / as to be accepted as; be considered.
material that passed for silk;
The candidate could pass as Latino or Anglo, appealing to both constituencies.
-
pass off
-
to present or offer (something) under false pretenses; dispose of deceptively.
to pass off a spurious de Kooning on a gullible buyer.
-
to cause to be accepted or received under a false identity.
He passed himself off as a doctor.
-
to cease gradually; end.
The headache passed off in the late afternoon.
-
to disregard or ignore.
-
to continue to completion; occur.
The meeting passed off without incident.
-
-
pass up to refuse or neglect to take advantage of; reject.
The opportunity may not come again, so don't pass it up.
-
pass away
-
to die.
He passed away during the night.
-
to cease; end.
All this trouble will pass away.
-
-
pass along / through to add (incurred extra costs or expenses) to the amount charged a client or customer.
Airlines were passing along the sudden increase in fuel prices.
-
pass over
-
to disregard; ignore.
Just pass over the first part of his letter.
-
to fail to take notice of, consider, or choose.
He was passed over for the promotion.
-
-
pass on to die.
The patient passed on after a long illness.
idioms
-
pass muster. muster.
-
bring to pass, to cause to happen; bring about.
His wife's death brought to pass a change in his attitude toward religion.
-
come to pass, to occur; happen.
Strange things came to pass.
-
pass out,
-
to lose consciousness; faint.
-
to die; pass away.
-
to distribute, especially individually by hand.
to pass out discount coupons on a street corner.
-
to walk or march out or through; leave or exit by means of.
The graduates will pass out the center aisle after receiving their diplomas. Pass out this door and turn left.
-
to be exempted or promoted from.
Jerry passed out of freshman composition on the basis of his entering essay.
-
Pass
2
American
[pas]
/ pæs /
noun
pass.
3
American
abbreviation
-
passenger.
-
passim.
-
passive.
pass
1
British
/ pɑːs /
verb
-
to go onwards or move by or past (a person, thing, etc)
-
to run, extend, or lead through, over, or across (a place)
the route passes through the city
-
to go through or cause to go through (an obstacle or barrier)
to pass a needle through cloth
-
to move or cause to move onwards or over
he passed his hand over her face
-
(tr) to go beyond or exceed
this victory passes all expectation
-
to gain or cause to gain an adequate or required mark, grade, or rating in (an examination, course, etc)
the examiner passed them all
-
to elapse or allow to elapse
we passed the time talking
-
to spend time amicably with someone, esp in chatting, with no particular purpose
-
(intr) to take place or happen
what passed at the meeting?
-
to speak or exchange or be spoken or exchanged
angry words passed between them
-
to spread or cause to spread
we passed the news round the class
-
to transfer or exchange or be transferred or exchanged
the bomb passed from hand to hand
-
(intr) to undergo change or transition
to pass from joy to despair
-
to transfer or be transferred by inheritance
the house passed to the younger son
-
to agree to or sanction or to be agreed to or receive the sanction of a legislative body, person of authority, etc
the assembly passed 10 resolutions
-
(tr) (of a legislative measure) to undergo (a procedural stage) and be agreed
the bill passed the committee stage
-
to pronounce or deliver (judgment, findings, etc)
the court passed sentence
-
to go or allow to go without comment or censure
the intended insult passed unnoticed
-
(intr) to opt not to exercise a right, as by not answering a question or not making a bid or a play in card games
-
physiol to discharge (urine, faeces, etc) from the body
-
to urinate
-
(intr) to come to an end or disappear
his anger soon passed
-
(intr; usually foll by for or as) to be likely to be mistaken for or accepted as (someone or something else)
you could easily pass for your sister
-
(intr; foll by away, on, or over) a euphemism for die 1
-
(tr) to fail to declare (a dividend)
-
(intr; usually foll by on or upon) (of a court, jury, etc) to sit in judgment; adjudicate
-
sport to hit, kick, or throw (the ball) to another player
-
archaic to cause to happen
-
to happen
noun
-
the act of passing
-
-
a route through a range of mountains where the summit is lower or where there is a gap between peaks
-
( capital as part of a name )
the Simplon Pass
-
-
a way through any difficult region
-
a permit, licence, or authorization to do something without restriction
she has a pass to visit the museum on Sundays
-
-
a document allowing entry to and exit from a military installation
-
a document authorizing leave of absence
-
-
-
the passing of a college or university examination to a satisfactory standard but not as high as honours
-
( as modifier ) Compare honours
a pass degree
-
-
a dive, sweep, or bombing or landing run by an aircraft
-
a motion of the hand or of a wand as a prelude to or part of a conjuring trick
-
informal an attempt, in words or action, to invite sexual intimacy (esp in the phrase make a pass at )
-
a state of affairs or condition, esp a bad or difficult one (esp in the phrase a pretty pass )
-
sport the transfer of a ball from one player to another
-
fencing a thrust or lunge with a sword
-
bridge the act of passing (making no bid)
-
bullfighting a variant of pase
-
archaic a witty sally or remark
interjection
pass.
2
British
abbreviation
pass
More Idioms
Synonym Usage
See die 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
passsimple
-
passessimple
-
have passedperfect
-
has passedperfect
-
am passingprogressive
-
are passingprogressive
-
is passingprogressive
-
have been passingperfect progressive
-
has been passingperfect progressive
Past
-
passedsimple
-
had passedperfect
-
was passingprogressive
-
were passingprogressive
-
had been passingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pass
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb passen, from Old French passer, from unattested Vulgar Latin passāre, derivative of Latin passus “step, pace”; noun derivative of verb; see origin at pace 1;
Explanation
A document that lets you go somewhere or do something is a pass. You can have a backstage pass at a concert, a three-day pass from a military base, or a hall pass for using the restroom during class. If you hand something to someone, you can use the verb pass, like when your dad asks you to pass the mashed potatoes. If the hand off is more of a throw or toss, then you are probably referring to a sports pass. You can't complain that no one will pass you the ball if you always stay on the opposite end of the court from where the action is.
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.
See Examples For:
Huang, who had roughly 60 direct reports, has said he doesn’t believe in succession planning and that leaders should continuously pass on knowledge and information as they have it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026
A steal by Luka Doncic with 1:44 remaining fueled the streak and the star point guard threw an outlet pass to Carr in transition, who collected the ball for an emphatic two-handed dunk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026
“Frankly, it seemed kind of stupid to pass that up,” Bohn told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 11, 2026
The investigative panel recommended that Congress should pass legislation to prevent the weaponisation of non-disclosure agreements, which they said Epstein used to silence survivors.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026
Again, I see something pass between the two men—an understanding, an awareness of each other.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
His mother was a member of the august Carrillo family, and his father was a captain in the Mexican army, killed in the Cahuenga Pass when his namesake son was just a few weeks old.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Unlike its predecessor, "Modern Warfare 4" will not initially be available on Game Pass, Microsoft’s subscription service.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
The second stage from Manchester to Sheffield is 154.4km long and includes Winnats Pass in the Peak District - 1.4km at 12.3% average elevation.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Platinum is new and effectively replaces its current Companion Pass program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
While he scooped the ice cream, I asked him, “Hey, what did you mean about a rodeo? When was the last time Stagecoach Pass even had a rodeo?”
From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling
“The most dire predictions didn’t come to pass. The market remains fairly robust,” said Meredith Freed, senior policy manager with KFF’s program on Medicare policy.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 20, 2026
“But moments pass. I don’t want that. I want to incorporate beans into the way we eat.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026
“This too shall pass. So I will continue doing this work on behalf of the American people”
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2025
“By being more inclusive, creating a bigger tent, there could be more support for a policy like this to pass. ... All three of these segments need strong protections right now.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2025
“The worst has come to pass. All our ymbrynes have been kidnapped.”
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
Oddly enough, though, the quarterback second in the NFL in touchdown passes was available—and he already knew coach Kevin O’Connell’s playbook.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026
Receiver Justin Jefferson had his best season catching passes from Cousins, leading the NFL with 1,809 yards in 2022.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026
Recent rainfall has counteracted the effects of drought on the waterway, through which five percent of global maritime trade passes.
From Barron's ● Nov. 9, 2026
Love went deep time and again, racking up 372 passing yards, three touchdown passes and a touchdown run.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026
Mari Luz leads us to an empty seminar room and passes out drinks of water.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
That’s why, he said, state lawmakers passed legislation in 2025 to speed up the process.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026
Meanwhile, several states have passed laws restricting resale markups or the sale of tickets brokers don’t own.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026
According to court documents, Berry was said to have compiled 34 reports for a man linked to the Chinese state spy agency, relaying information passed on to him by Cash.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
The standard explanation is that invisible dark matter passed through the collision along with the galaxies.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 11, 2026
Auntie Matchmaker set down her bowl, dug an envelope out of her knitted reticule, and passed it to Ma.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Their draft enjoys bipartisan support and has a good chance of passing both houses of Congress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026
Millogo wants to create a passing lane to receive the ball.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026
Using the code-name Corlay, she criss-crossed the region around Le Mans by bicycle, gathering information and passing on messages.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026
Yet it was not clear why redress for violating the Constitution should be dependent on Congress passing a statute.
From Slate ● Nov. 10, 2026
Although Clare had not asked for a name—he made a habit of never getting too well acquainted with passing spirits—this, for once, came as a help.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
