passe
noun
the numbers 19 through 36 in roulette.
passe
1 American
[pahs]
/ pɑs /
noun
French.
passé
2
American
[pa-sey, pah-sey]
/ pæˈseɪ, pɑˈseɪ /
adjective
-
no longer fashionable, in wide use, etc.; out-of-date; outmoded.
There were many photographs of passé fashions. I thought hand-cranked pencil sharpeners were passé.
- Synonyms:
- quaint, démodé, old-fashioned
-
past.
time passé.
-
past the prime of one's life.
noun
passés
plural
passé
British
/ ˈpɑseɪ, pɑse, ˈpɑːseɪ /
adjective
-
out-of-date
passé ideas
-
past the prime; faded
a passé society beauty
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of passe1
Literally, “passing, pass”
Origin of passé2
1765–75; < French, past participle of passer to pass
Explanation
Passé describes something that's out of style or "so yesterday!" What your parents think is cool is usually very passé, but sometimes their old stuff is stylish again, like the Lynyrd Skynyrd T-shirt you borrow from your mom. From the French passer, "to pass," passé came into English use in the 18th century, and its accented "é" is still used in the 21st century. Pronounced "pass-AY," the adjective passé is a classier way to call something outdated, unfashionable, and so out of touch with trends. Your floppy pop-star haircut may be passé if a crew-cut band becomes all the rage, but even saying "all the rage" is itself probably passé. If it's current and in style, it's not passé.
Vocabulary lists containing passe
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
To Kill a Mockingbird
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Ancient Wisdom: Synonyms for "Old"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
But these days, many of the traditional Olympic sports are beginning to feel passe to a younger generation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2024
While some shoppers and even Ms. Stangl see the term “work wear” as passe, Banana Republic still has a dedicated section on its website called “The Workwear Edit.”
From New York Times ● Jul. 13, 2023
For any readers under 30, this observation will seem ridiculously obvious, even passe.
From Washington Post ● May 2, 2023
Pete Carroll’s coaching style was regarded as passe.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 1, 2022
"The matters gothe nat well to passe in Englonde,” he had stated, "nor shall nat do tyll every thyng be common, and that there be no villayns nor gentylmen.”
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Behind the scenes, away from all of the media rantings and ravings, and the cheap thrill it gives to revive the passé term canoodling, it is surely traumatic and sad.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
“The innovation represents something new and is thus creative. However, it is also destructive, as the company whose technology becomes passé is outcompeted.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2025
Maybe it’s inevitable that "Black Mirror," once upon a time a show of unnerving political and social prescience, would become not simply passé but past expiration.
From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2025
At Lollapalooza’s inception, festivals had become passé, with the US Festival, the Summer Jam at Watkins Glen and the Monterey Pop Festival little more than hazy memories.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2025
If, later on, you are harrowed as I have been harrowed, remember J'ai passé par là.
From The Lowest Rung Together with The Hand on the Latch, St. Luke's Summer and The Understudy by Cholmondeley, Mary
Well, Mozart lived in the last days of the old world, and the old world and the thoughts and sentiments of the old world are certainly a little passés now.
From Old Scores and New Readings Discussions on Music & Certain Musicians by Runciman, John F.
The mother shed no tears; when from her bed she saw us carry it away she looked mournfully on, and as we went out she whispered, "Mes beaux jours sont passés."
From The International Magazine, Volume 2, No. 2, January, 1851 by Various
"That's right, growl ahead, thou, tes beaux jours sont passés, but for me l'amour, l'amour—que c'est gai, que c'est frais!" he half sung, half shouted.
From In and out of Three Normady Inns by Dodd, Anna Bowman
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.
