pass
(Informal)
[verb]
Synonyms:
- go by or past, elapse, go, lapse, move, proceed, run
- qualify, do, get through, graduate, succeed
- spend, fill, occupy, while away
- give, convey, deliver, hand, send, transfer
- approve, accept, decree, enact, legislate, ordain, ratify
- exceed, beat, go beyond, outdo, outstrip, surpass
- end, blow over, cease, go
[noun]
Synonyms:
- gap, canyon, gorge, ravine, route
- licence, authorization, passport, permit, ticket, warrant

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Contrasted words: linger, continue
Related Idioms: pass on to the Great Beyond, come to pass, leave way behind, shoot ahead of
Related Words: jog, mog, slip (by), roll (on), fade (away), peter (out), cease, close, discontinue, end, stop, terminate, give, fork (over)

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English Thesaurus: approve, pass, ratify, rubber-stamp, throw, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. pass¹ S1 W1 /pɑːs $ pæs/ verb
[Word Family: noun: pass, overpass ≠ underpass, passage, passing; adjective: passing, passable ≠ impassable; verb: pass]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: passer, from Vulgar Latin passare, from Latin passus 'step']

1. GO PAST [intransitive and transitive] to come up to a particular place, person, or object and go past them:
The crowd parted to let the truck pass.
He gave me a smile as he passed.
We passed a group of students outside the theatre.
I pass the sports centre on the way to work.

2. MOVE/GO [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to go or travel along or through a place:
He passed along the corridor to a small room at the back of the building.
We passed through the gates into a courtyard behind.
We were just passing through (=travelling through a place) and thought we’d drop in to see you.

3. PUT [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to put something around, through, or across something else:
He passed the rope carefully around the post.

4. ROAD/RIVER ETC [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive] a road, river, or railway line that passes a place goes through or near the place:
The road passes right through the town centre.
The main railway line passes just north of Manchester.

5. GIVE [transitive] to hold something in your hand and give it to someone else:
Pass the salt, please.
pass somebody something
Can you pass me that bag by your feet?
pass something to somebody
She passed a cup of tea to the headmaster.
I passed the note back to her. ⇒ pass around

6. GIVE INFORMATION [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to give information or a job to another person so that they can deal with it
pass something (on/over/back) to somebody
I’ll pass the information on to our sales department.
They’ve passed the enquiry over to the police.

7. TIME
a) [intransitive] if time passes, it goes by:
The days passed slowly.
She became more ambitious as the years passed.
They sat in silence while the minutes passed.
Hardly a day passes without more bad news about the economy (=there is bad news almost every day).
b) [transitive] if you pass time or pass your life in a particular way, you spend it in that way:
We passed the winter pleasantly enough.
We played cards to pass the time (=to help us stop feeling bored).

REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say that they spend time doing something rather than pass time:
I spent the whole day watching TV.

8. EXAM/TEST
a) [intransitive and transitive] to succeed in an examination or test Antonym : fail:
Did you pass all your exams?
He hasn’t passed his driving test yet.
She passed with flying colours (=got very high marks).
b) [transitive] to officially decide that someone has succeeded in an examination or test Antonym : fail:
The examiners will only pass you if they feel that you have done the work properly.

9. LAW/PROPOSAL
a) [transitive] to officially accept a law or proposal, especially by voting:
Plans to extend the hotel have now been passed.
The motion was passed by 16 votes to 11.
pass a law/bill/act
The first Transport Act was passed in 1907.
The government has passed new legislation to protect consumers.
The United Nations Security Council has passed a resolution asking the two countries to resume peace negotiations.
b) [intransitive and transitive] especially American English if a law or proposal passes an official group, it is officially accepted by that group:
The bill failed to pass the House of Representatives.

10. HAPPEN [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] written if something passes between people, they speak to each other or do something together
pass between
A glance of recognition passed between them.
Please say nothing of what has passed here today.

11. SAY pass a remark/comment to say something that gives your opinion:
I’m afraid I can’t pass any comment on this matter.
He passed some remark about doctors being paid too much.

12. let something pass to deliberately not say anything when someone says or does something that you do not like:
Carla made some comment about my work but I decided to let it pass.

13. END [intransitive] to end or stop:
After a couple of hours the storm passed.
The feeling of sickness soon passed.

14. SPORT [intransitive and transitive] to kick, throw, or hit a ball to a member of your own team during a game
pass to
He passed to Beckham on the edge of the penalty area.
pass something to somebody
Are you allowed to pass the ball back to the goalkeeper?

15. MORE THAN [transitive] to become more than a particular number or amount:
The number of unemployed has passed the two million mark for the first time.

16. pass unnoticed to happen without anyone noticing or saying anything:
His resignation passed largely unnoticed.

17. pass the time of day (with somebody) to talk to someone for a short time in order to be friendly

18. CHANGE CONTROL [intransitive always + preposition] formal to change from being controlled or owned by one person to being controlled or owned by someone else
pass to
The land will pass to my son when I die.
Control of these services has now passed into the hands of the local authorities.

19. CHANGE [intransitive always + preposition] formal to change from one state or condition into another
pass from/to
The chemical passes from a liquid to a solid state during the cooling process.

20. pass (a) sentence (on somebody) to officially decide how a criminal will be punished, and to announce what the punishment will be:
Judges no longer have the power to pass the death sentence.

21. pass judgment (on somebody) to give your opinion about someone’s behaviour:
I don’t want to pass judgment on my colleagues.

22. GIVE NO ANSWER [intransitive] to give no answer to a question because you do not know the answer:
‘Who won the World Cup in 1998?’ ‘Pass.’

23. NOT ACCEPT [intransitive] to not accept an invitation or offer
pass on
I’m afraid I’ll have to pass on that offer of coffee.

24. not pass sb’s lips humorous
a) used to say that someone does not talk about something that is secret:
Don’t worry. Not a word of this will pass my lips.
b) used to say that someone does not eat or drink a particular thing:
Not a drop of liquor has passed my lips.

25. WASTE MATTER [transitive] medical to let out a waste substance from your bladder or bowels:
See your doctor immediately if you pass any blood.
He was having difficulty passing water (=letting out urine).

26. come to pass literary biblical to happen
⇒ pass muster at muster²(1), ⇒ pass the buck at buck¹(3)
pass something ↔ around (also pass something ↔ round British English) phrasal verb
to offer or show something to each person in a group:
Pass the cookies around, would you?
⇒ pass the hat round/around at hat(6)
pass as somebody/something phrasal verb
if someone or something can pass as someone or something, they are similar enough to be accepted as that type of person or thing:
His French is so good that he can pass as a Frenchman.
pass away phrasal verb
to die – use this when you want to avoid saying the word ‘die’
pass by phrasal verb

1. pass by (somebody/something) to go past a person, place, vehicle etc:
They all waved as they passed by.
Will you be passing by the supermarket on your way home? ⇒ passerby

2. pass somebody by if something passes you by, it happens but you are not involved in it:
She felt that life was passing her by.
pass something ↔ down phrasal verb [usually passive]
to give or teach something to people who are younger than you or live after you
pass something down (from somebody) to somebody
The tradition has been passed down from father to son for generations.
pass for somebody/something phrasal verb
if something passes for another thing, it is so similar to that thing that people think that is what it is:
With my hair cut short, I could have passed for a boy.
pass off phrasal verb

1. pass off well/badly etc if an event passes off well, badly etc, it happens in that way:
The visit passed off without any serious incidents.

2. pass somebody/something off as something to make people think that someone or something is another thing:
They bought up pieces of old furniture and passed them off as valuable antiques.
He passed himself off as a doctor.
pass on phrasal verb

1. pass something ↔ on to give someone a piece of information that someone else has given to you
pass something ↔ on to
She said she’d pass the message on to the other students.

2. pass something ↔ on
a) to give something, especially a disease, to your children through your genes
b) to give a slight illness to someone else
pass something ↔ on to
One catches the virus and they pass it on to the rest.

3. pass something ↔ on to make someone else pay the cost of something
pass something ↔ on to
Any increase in our costs will have to be passed on to the consumer.

4. to die – use this when you want to avoid saying the word ‘die’
pass out phrasal verb

1. to become unconscious:
I nearly passed out when I saw all the blood.

2. especially British English to finish a course of study at a military school or police college

3. pass something ↔ out to give something, such as books or papers, to everyone in a group Synonym : hand out, distribute
pass over phrasal verb

1. pass somebody ↔ over [usually in passive] if you pass someone over for a job, you choose someone else who is younger or lower in the organization than them:
This is the second time I’ve been passed over for promotion (=someone else has been given a higher job instead of me).

2. pass over something if you pass over a remark or subject, you do not spend any time discussing it:
I want to pass over this quite quickly.
I think we’d better pass over that last remark.
pass something ↔ up phrasal verb
to not make use of a chance to do something
pass up a chance/opportunity/offer
I don’t think you should pass up the opportunity to go to university.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. pass² S2 W3 noun [countable]
[Word Family: noun: pass, overpass ≠ underpass, passage, passing; adjective: passing, passable ≠ impassable; verb: pass]
[Sense 1-4, 6-8: Date: 1400-1500; Origin: ⇒ pass¹]
[Sense 5: Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: pas, from Latin passus; ⇒ pass¹]

1. DOCUMENT an official piece of paper which shows that you are allowed to enter a building or travel on something without paying:
The guard checked our passes.
They issued us with free passes to the theatre.
You can buy a cheap one-day bus pass.

2. EXAM/TEST a successful result in an examination Antonym : fail:
You will need at least three passes to get onto the course.
pass in
Did you get a pass in English?
The pass mark (=the mark you need to be successful) is 55%.

3. SPORT when you kick, throw, or hit a ball to another member of your team during a game:
That was a brilliant pass by Holden.

4. make a pass at somebody informal to try to kiss or touch another person with the intention of starting a sexual relationship with them

5. ROAD/PATH a high road or path that goes between mountains to the other side:
a narrow, winding mountain pass

6. STAGE one part of a process that involves dealing with the whole of a group or thing several times:
On the first pass we eliminated all the candidates who didn’t have the right experience.

7. AIRCRAFT a movement in which an aircraft flies once over a place which it is attacking

8. come to a pretty/sorry pass old-fashioned informal if things have come to a pretty or sorry pass, a situation has become very bad

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

pass
noun
I. in sport
ADJ. good, perfect | careless, sloppy | long, short | back, cross-field, square (in football) | forward (in rugby) The referee disallowed the try for a forward pass.
VERB + PASS play Ziege played a pass behind the defence to Weiss.
get, pick up, receive | block, intercept
PREP. ~ from Owen picked up a long pass from Beckham to score.
~ to He played a careless back pass to the goalkeeper.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

pass
II. success in exam
ADJ. good | exam, examination, A Level, GCSE, etc.
VERB + PASS get, manage, obtain, scrape She barely scraped a pass in chemistry.
PASS + NOUN mark, rate The pass mark is 40%.
degree Applicants need a good degree pass.
PREP. ~ at It's difficult to obtain a pass at A Level.
~ in He should get a good pass in mathematics.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

pass
III. official piece of paper
ADJ. free | day, monthly, weekend, yearly | bus, rail, railway a monthly rail pass
security | boarding
VERB + PASS have | use | give sb, issue (sb with) The visitors were issued with day passes.
produce, show
PREP. on a ~ soldiers on a weekend pass
~ to We bought a two-day pass to Disneyland.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

pass
IV. way through mountains
ADJ. high, low | narrow | mountain
VERB + PASS cross, take
PASS + VERB be blocked
PREP. over a/the ~ struggling over the pass with their donkeys
through a/the ~ building a road through the pass
~ over We took the high pass over the ridge.
PHRASES the head/summit/top of the pass

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

pass
verb
I. of time
ADV. quickly, soon The time passed quickly.
slowly | peacefully, uneventfully The days passed uneventfully.
VERB + PASS help (to) We played games to help pass the time.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

pass
II. law
ADV. unanimously
PREP. by … to … The bill was passed by 360 votes to 280.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

pass
IV. happen
ADV. peacefully | off The demonstration passed off peacefully.
VERB + PASS come to (formal or old-fashioned) I wondered how it came to pass that a thinking man bore the prejudices of his unthinking parents.
let sth I don't like it, but I'll let it pass (= will not object).
PREP. between They'll never be friends again after all that has passed between them.
PHRASES pass unnoticed In the confusion her departure passed unnoticed.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

pass
verb
1.
BAD: We like to pass our holidays near the sea.
GOOD: We like to spend our holidays near the sea.
BAD: We passed the night in a cheap hotel.
GOOD: We spent the night in a cheap hotel.
BAD: I passed Christmas in London.
GOOD: I spent Christmas in London.

Usage Note:
You spend your holidays/a period of time somewhere (NOT pass ): 'We spent a lazy afternoon down by the river.'
When pass is used in connection with time, it is usually intransitive: 'Two weeks passed and there was still no reply.'

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2.
BAD: It has passed almost a year since we first met each other.
GOOD: It's almost a year since we first met each other.
GOOD: We first met each other almost a year ago.
DUBIOUS: Almost a year has passed since we first met each other.

Usage Note:
In sentences about the passage of time, the subject of pass is always a time phrase: 'Another five minutes passed and the taxi still didn't appear.' Note however that this pattern is used mainly used in narrative styles.

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3.
See EXAM (exam)/EXAMINATION 2

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

approve to officially accept a plan, proposal etc:
The Medical Research Council has approved the use of a new drug for breast cancer.
pass to approve a law or proposal, especially by voting:
Many anti-smoking laws have been passed.
ratify to make a written agreement official by signing it:
The treaty was ratified by the Senate in 1988.
rubber-stamp to approve something without really thinking about it – used to show disapproval:
Parliament merely rubber-stamped the president’s decisions.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

throw to make something such as a ball or stone move quickly through the air using your hand:
I threw the ball back to him.
Protestors began throwing stones at the police.
I just threw the letter in the bin.
toss (also chuck) informal to throw something, especially in a careless way without using much effort:
She tossed her coat onto the bed.
Can you chuck me the remote control?
hurl to throw something with a lot of force:
Someone hurled a brick through his window.
fling to angrily throw something somewhere with a lot of force, or to carelessly throw something somewhere because you have very little time:
He flung her keys into the river.
I flung a few things into a suitcase.
heave /hiːv/ to throw something heavy using a lot of effort:
They heaved the log into the river.
lob to throw something high into the air over someone or something:
The police lobbed tear gas canisters over the heads of the demonstrators.
pass to throw the ball to another member of your team:
He passed the ball to Wilkinson, who kicked the ball over the goalposts.
pitch to throw the ball to the batter in a game of baseball:
Stoddard pitched for the Chicago White Sox.
bowl to throw the ball towards the person who is batting in a game of cricket:
Harmison bowled superbly and took 5 wickets.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

pass
pɑ:s
See: bring to pass , come to pass , forward pass , jump pass , screen pass

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲