passerby
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of passerby
1560–70; pass by + -er 1, with postposing of the particle
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.
A sympathetic passerby asks, who have you lost?”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
Speaking to the Sun, a passerby saw the bag on the side of a road and alerted her partner after becoming suspicious.
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026
Restaurant terraces sit deserted, while souvenir, watersports and perfume vendors watch for the rare passerby.
From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026
The sight of the full battalion brings grins to every passerby.
From Salon • Feb. 5, 2026
A trail of scraps beckoned the passerby to climb the unpainted front steps toward some goal within the building.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
