passerby
Americannoun
-
passersby
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
A sympathetic passerby asks, who have you lost?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
As the tram careens past, a delivery man can been seen leaping to safety from his bicycle, while a passerby also races out of the way.
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026
Any prudent passerby would think twice before approaching a clearing with a tower made of hundreds of skulls at its center.
From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2026
"It's interesting because not that many things get vandalised around here," says Lucia, a passerby who lives in the city.
From BBC ● Dec. 10, 2025
I hadn’t even noticed them, but now I think about the random passerby on the sidewalk, the gardener working on the hedge.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
Fiat executives warned I should be ready for gawkers with myriad questions and passersby angling to take photos.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
She mostly stands or kneels and makes facial expressions in reaction to her surroundings and passersby.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
From there, they wave people over or fall into step with passersby.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Li's team has grown to seven members working together to advertise online and to passersby, drive the bikes, and edit the footage, with each rider attracting around six to 12 customers a night.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
Bo watched with fascination as they tried to entice the passersby.
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
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.
