Pass | Mean of pass in English Dictionary

/ˈpæs/

• Verb
• to move past someone or something
1. The boat was too tall to pass beneath/under the bridge.
2. A flock of geese were passing overhead.
3. Stand here and don't let anyone pass. [=move past you]
4. They pass by the library on their way to school.
5. I was just passing by and thought I'd stop and say hello.
6. They pass the library every morning on their way to school.
7. The ships passed each other in the night.
8. We passed each other in the hallway without looking up.
9. She was hoping he would stop and talk to her, but he passed her by.
• to move past someone or something that is moving more slowly in the same direction
1. (US) “Is it safe to pass?” [=(Brit) overtake] “No, there's a car coming in the other lane.”
2. She passed two other runners just before the finish line.
3. He passed the slower cars on the highway.
• to move or go into or through a particular place
1. The drug passes quickly into the bloodstream.
2. In a solar eclipse, the moon passes between the sun and the Earth.
3. The airplane passed out of sight.
4. Fear and panic passed through the crowd.
5. A river passes through the middle of the city.
6. Millions of tourists pass through the museum every year.
7. The paper passes through the fax machine and comes out the other end.
8. The bullet passed through his shoulder.
9. We passed through Texas on our way to Mexico.
10. We're just passing through. [=staying here for a very short time]

• to cause (something) to move or go in a specified way
1. Pass the end of the string through the loop.
2. He passed the rope around the pole.
• to give (something) to someone using your hands
1. She passed the baby back to his mother.
2. Would you please pass the salt?
3. Pass [=hand] me the butter, please.
4. They started passing around pictures of their trip.
5. Take one sheet and pass the rest down/on/along. [=take one sheet and give the rest to the next person]
6. Can you pass that screwdriver over to me?
• to throw, hit, or kick a ball or puck to a teammate
1. Pass me the ball! = Pass the ball to me!
2. She passed to her teammate who then scored a goal.
• to cause someone to have or be affected by (something that you have had or been affected by)
1. The disease was passed from mother to child. = She passed the disease to her child.
2. She contracted the disease and passed it on to her child.
3. Gas prices have risen, forcing companies to pass the cost on to the consumer.
4. We lowered our costs and are now able to pass on the savings to our customers.
5. We're passing the savings along to our customers.
• to give (information) to another person
1. Doctors need to pass this information on to their patients.
2. Everyone's invited to the party. Pass it on! [=tell people that everyone is invited]
3. They quickly passed the word along that the meeting was postponed.
4. He told me about it, and now I'm passing it along to you.
• to go from one person to another person
1. The rumor quickly passed [=spread] from person to person.
2. The book passed from hand to hand.
• to be given to someone especially according to a law, rule, etc.
1. The throne passed to the king's son.
2. Ownership passes to the buyer upon payment in full.
3. After her death, the house passed into the hands of her granddaughter. [=her granddaughter became the owner of the house]
• to go by
1. Several months passed before I received a reply.
2. He became sleepy as the time passed.
3. The days pass quickly when you're on vacation.
4. Another day passed without any news about the whereabouts of their missing son.
• to let (time or a period of time) go by especially while you are doing something enjoyable
1. He passes [=spends] his days reading and taking walks around the neighborhood.
2. They passed the evening playing cards.
3. We played games to pass the time on the bus.
4. I walked over to my neighbor's house to pass the time of day. [=to have a friendly and informal conversation]
• to happen or take place
1. The meeting passed without incident.
2. He hoped that his mistake would pass unnoticed. [=not be noticed by anyone]
3. A meaningful glance passed between them. [=they glanced at each other in a meaningful way]
4. It's hard to believe that they're still friends after everything that's passed between them.
• to end or go away
1. She couldn't let the moment pass (away) without saying something.
2. This crisis will soon pass. [=will soon be over]
3. A storm had just passed.
4. They waited until it was clear that the danger had passed.
5. They were happy once, but that time has passed. [=that time is over]
6. The era of the traveling salesman has passed into history. [=traveling salesmen no longer exist]
• to be done, said, etc., without producing a response
1. I disagreed with what he said, but I let it pass. [=I did not say anything in response to his remark]
2. She let his remark pass without comment.
• to not take, accept, or use something that is offered to you
1. Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass.
2. He passed on the cake. [=he did not eat any cake]
3. I think I'll pass on going with you.
• to decide not to do something at a particular point in a game (such as a card game) when it is your turn
1. “I bid three of hearts.” “I pass.”
• to complete (a test, class, etc.) successfully
1. He failed his driver's test the first time he took it, but he passed it the second time.
2. I almost didn't pass my French class this semester.
3. “How did you do on the test?” “I passed!”
• to decide that (someone) has passed an examination or course of study
1. The teacher said she couldn't pass me because I failed all of my tests.
• to officially approve (a law, bill, etc.)
1. Congress passed a law banning the sale of automatic rifles.
2. The measure was passed by both the House and the Senate.
3. We've been trying to get this legislation passed for several months now.
• to become approved by (a legislature)
1. The measure passed both the House and the Senate.
2. The bill passed the House but was defeated/rejected by the Senate.
3. The proposal passed (into law).
4. The bill failed to pass in the Senate.
• to say or state (something) especially in an official way
1. Before passing sentence [=announcing the punishment], the judge commented on the seriousness of the crime.
2. The court is now ready to pass judgment.
3. It would be premature to pass judgment on [=to state an opinion on] his place in history.
4. Don't pass judgment on me [=don't criticize me] until you know all the facts.
• to go beyond (a number or amount)
1. It's an extremely successful movie that has just passed [=exceeded, surpassed] the $100 million mark. [=it has earned more than $100 million]
2. I've passed the half-century mark. [=I am over 50 years old]
• to change from one state or form to another
1. The water passes from a liquid to a gas.
2. passing through the different stages of human development
• to be good enough
1. The work isn't perfect, but it will pass. [=will do]
• to illegally use (checks, bills, etc., with no real value) as money
1. They were charged with passing bad checks.
2. He was trying to pass counterfeit money.
• to have (something) come out from your body
1. He had been passing blood in his urine. [=blood had been appearing in his urine]
2. pass a kidney stone
• to die
1. I'm sorry, but your grandfather has passed.
• to cause people to believe that you are (someone or something that you are not)
1. He thought that growing a mustache would help him pass as an adult.
2. Your mom could pass as your sister!
• to be accepted or regarded as (something)
1. the ancient practices that once passed as [=passed for] science
• to happen without being noticed or acted upon by (someone)
1. Don't let this opportunity pass (you) by!
2. I realized that I was letting life pass me by.
• to give (something) to a younger person especially within the same family
1. She will pass down her diamond ring to her niece.
2. It's a family recipe passed down [=handed down] from my great-grandmother.
3. The painting is a family heirloom that has been passed down through the generations.
• to give (something) to a person who will review it
1. Students should pass their papers in before they leave.
2. He passed in [=handed in] his test.
• to cause people to wrongly believe that someone or something is someone or something else
1. amateurs passing themselves off as professionals
2. He managed to pass himself off as the son of the famous actor.
3. She passed the poem off as her own.
4. They tried to pass it off as an original painting, but I suspected it was a copy.
5. a cheap piece of glass passed off as a diamond
• to happen or take place in a particular way
1. The event passed off [=went off] with no major incidents.
2. The evening passed off quietly.
• to fall asleep or become unconscious
1. They both passed out in front of the TV.
2. I felt like I was going to pass out from exhaustion.
3. He drank until he passed out.
4. Someone was passed out on the floor. [=someone was lying unconscious on the floor]
• to give (something) to several or many people
1. They passed out [=handed out, distributed] copies of the newsletter.
2. The teacher hasn't finished passing out the tests yet.
3. She passed out flyers at the grocery store.
• to not choose (someone) for a job, position, etc.
1. When it came time to select the recipient of the award, the committee once again passed him over. [=the committee did not give him an award]
2. The quarterback was passed over by other teams.
3. She was passed over for another promotion.
• to leave out (something)
1. passing over [=skipping] the more boring parts of the book
2. Let's pass over the technical details and get straight to the parts that really interest you.
• to not take or accept (something that is offered to you)
1. We couldn't afford to pass up her offer.
2. Her offer was too good to pass up.
• to come out of your mouth
1. The word “quit” has never passed her lips. [=she has never said the word “quit”]
• to go into your mouth
1. He refused to let alcohol pass his lips. [=he never drank alcohol]
• Noun
• an act of throwing, hitting, or kicking a ball or puck to a teammate
1. throwing/making/completing a perfect pass to a teammate
2. a forward pass
3. He caught a 20-yard pass from Johnson.
4. The quarterback threw two touchdown passes in the first half of the game.
• a card or ticket which shows that you are allowed to enter or leave a particular place or to ride a vehicle
1. a one-day/weekend/season pass to the amusement park
2. Each new student will be given a bus pass. [=a ticket that permits you to ride the bus]
3. We won backstage passes [=cards that allow you to go behind the stage] for tonight's concert.
4. (US) You have to get a hall pass [=a card that shows you have permission to be out of class during class time] from the teacher.
• a single, complete set of actions that are done together as a stage in a process
1. The machine is able to print on both sides in a single pass.
2. I did another pass to check for any spelling mistakes in my essay.
3. The error was discovered in the next pass through the data.
• an act of moving over a place
1. The planes made several passes over the area.
2. The pilot spotted the missing group on a second pass.
• a grade which shows that you have passed a test or class
1. I got a pass in my History class.
2. The required pass mark was 75 percent.
• to do or say something that clearly shows you want to begin a romantic or sexual relationship with (someone)
1. He made a pass at his wife's friend.
• a low place in a mountain range where a road or path goes through
1. a mountain pass = a pass through the mountains
• a usually bad situation or condition
1. We had come to a very strange pass.
2. What brought them to such a sorry pass?