passverb
uk/pɑːs/us/pæs/pass verb (GO PAST)
B1 [ I or T ] to go past something or someone or move in relation to it, him, or her:
[ T ] to go past a particular point in time:
C2 [ T ] to go past something by being greater in amount or degree:
C2 [ I ] If you say a state or feeling will pass, you mean it will disappear:
More examples
- Stand aside, please, and let these people pass.
- He took a step backwards to allow her to pass.
- The ship passed Land's End, then steered towards southern Ireland.
- She affectionately ruffled his hair with her hand as she passed.
- After a strong start, she was passed by several runners on the final lap and finished ninth.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
General words for movement
- betake
- budge
- budge up
- circulate
- come
- gangway!
- go around
- head
- locomotion
- manoeuvre
- mill around
- mobility
- mope
- mope around (somewhere)
- move
- round
- slip
- steer
- sway
- travel
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pass verb (SUCCEED)
A2 [ I or T ] to be successful in an exam, course, etc.:
More examples
- She's been trying to pass her driving test for six years and she's finally succeeded.
- After all his hard work, he certainly ought to pass his exams.
- I passed in history but failed in chemistry.
- The teacher expected her to pass the exam without any difficulty.
- I took a flute exam last month and I'm still waiting to hear whether I passed.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Exams, tests & exercises
- achievement test
- AP
- cloze test
- comprehension
- entrance exam
- exercise
- fail
- flunk
- IB
- IELTS
- invigilate
- mock
- oral
- prelim
- resat
- resit
- road test
- sit
- TOEFL
- trial
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pass verb (GIVE)
B1 [ T ] to give something to someone:
C2 [ I or T ] In sports, if you pass the ball, you kick, throw, or hit it to someone in your team.
[ T ] If you pass money, you give someone false or stolen money without telling them:
More examples
- Could you pass me that book?
- She passed him the mug, filled to the brim with hot black coffee.
- Pass me the camera, I want to take a photo.
- She passed a plate of biscuits around .
- Minelli passes the ball to Hernandez out there on the wing.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Giving, providing and supplying
- accommodate
- accord
- administer
- administration
- assignment
- award
- dish
- go round (somewhere)
- hand sth around
- hand sth back
- hand sth in
- hand sth out
- invest
- lay
- spare
- stake sb to sth
- step
- step forward
- supplier
- supply
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pass verb (TIME)
B1 [ I ] When time passes, it goes past:
B2 [ T ] If you pass a period of time, you do something to stop yourself being bored during that period:
More examples
- Hardly had a moment passed before the door creaked open.
- Janet was surprised how quickly the time passed.
- The next two days passed in a whirl of activity.
- Time passes so quickly when you're enjoying yourself.
- While we were waiting we did the crossword to pass the time.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Spending time & time passing
- all the time in the world idiom
- Anno Domini
- course
- elapse
- employ
- fall
- fall away
- misspend
- passage
- passing
- roll
- run
- slip away
- spread sth over sth
- the sands of time are running out idiom
- tick
- tick away/by
- time and tide wait for no man idiom
- while
- while sth away
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pass verb (APPROVE)
B2 [ T ] (of an official group of people) to give approval to something, especially by voting to make it law:
More examples
- The jury passed a verdict of guilty, with an appeal to the judge for clemency.
- This legislation won't be passed during the life of the present parliament.
- The motion was passed.
- It's one of the most ridiculous laws that has ever been passed.
- The two countries are resuming negotiations after a new resolution was passed by the Security Council.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
UK politics: legislation & law-making
- abolish
- abrogate
- amendment
- assemblyman
- assemblywoman
- constitution
- constitutional
- enforce
- jurisprudence
- lawmaker
- legalize
- legislate
- legislative
- legitimate
- passage
- prohibition
- proscribe
- quash
- repeal
- rescind
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pass verb (JUDGE)
to express a judgment or opinion about something, especially someone else's behaviour:
to say officially, as a judge, what a criminal's official punishment will be
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Expressing and asking opinions
- apothegm
- ask
- come out
- couch
- day
- editorialize
- far
- for my money idiom
- pronounce
- propound
- put
- put yourself across
- remark
- run
- run sth by sb
- screed
- soapbox
- sound off
- talk
- talk sth over
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pass verb (EXCRETE)
[ T ] formal to remove waste from the body:
to have blood in your urine or faeces (= solid waste):
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Animal physiology: excrement & its excretion
- accident
- anal fissure
- bathroom
- be caught/taken short idiom
- bowel movement
- call of nature idiom
- cowpat
- crap
- droppings
- dump
- go to the bathroom idiom
- guano
- melaena
- motion
- move
- movement
- poop
- regular
- shite
- turd
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pass verb (NOT PLAY)
[ I ] to choose not to play in a part of a game or not to answer a question in a quiz
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Card games
- bridge
- canasta
- card sharp
- deal
- dealer
- diamond
- discard
- flush
- grand slam
- jack
- joker
- pool
- royal flush
- rummy
- shuffle
- singleton
- solitaire
- stick
- strip poker
- suit
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pass verb (CHANGE)
[ I usually + adv/prep ] to change from one state to another:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Changing
- a new broom sweeps clean idiom
- about-turn
- alter
- alternate
- alternation
- bastardize
- convert
- fluid
- move on
- move the goalposts idiom
- move with the times idiom
- new
- new broom
- onto
- swing
- transfigure
- transform
- transitional
- transmogrify
- transmute
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Idiom(s)
Phrasal verb(s)
passnoun
uk/pɑːs/us/pæs/pass noun (EXAM RESULT)
B2 [ C ] UK a successful result in an exam:
[ C ] US a successful result in a course or exam for which the student will not be given a mark:
More examples
- Peters received a diagonal pass and headed the ball into the net.
- Batistuta intercepted Neville's pass and scored the third goal.
- That was a perfect pass from Rooney to Owen.
- Yet another brilliant pass by Anderson!
- Another sloppy pass like that might lose them the whole match.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Success and achievements
- a feather in your cap idiom
- a narrow squeak idiom
- a roaring success idiom
- accomplishment
- achievement
- boom
- dizzy
- escapade
- every dog has its day idiom
- feat
- feather
- fruition
- have sth under your belt idiom
- laugh
- perform/work miracles/a miracle idiom
- prospect
- quantum leap
- sellout
- success
- success story
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pass noun (BALL)
C2 [ C ] a movement of the ball from one player to another member of the same team in a team sport
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
General terms used in ball sports
- aggregate score
- assist
- back pass
- bobble
- center circle
- chip
- goalless
- holding
- lay
- layoff
- long ball
- man on! idiom
- man-to-man defense
- man-to-man marking
- overarm
- set piece
- shoot
- sidespin
- unplayable
- wrong-foot
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pass noun (DOCUMENT)
B1 [ C ] an official document or ticket showing that you have the right to go somewhere or use a particular form of transport:
[ C ] mainly US a document that allows a student to leave a class for a particular reason:
More examples
- Annie's the film critic for the local radio station, so she's got a free pass for all the cinemas in the area.
- The official at the gate checked our passes.
- You need a security pass to enter the building.
- All passengers will require a boarding pass and a valid passport.
- They gave me a backstage pass and I met some of the actors.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Tickets
- apex
- boarding pass
- coach class
- day return
- economy class
- MetroCard
- Oyster card
- railcard
- rain check
- return
- return ticket
- season ticket
- single
- subscription
- ticket
- ticketless
- timed ticket
- transfer
- walk-up price
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pass noun (PATH)
[ C ] a path or road between or over mountains:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Roads & routes in general
- approach
- ascent
- bicycle lane/path
- bike lane/path
- blacktop
- communication
- cycle lane/path
- fast link
- footstep
- inside lane
- one-way
- outside lane
- passable
- road
- road safety
- road sense
- switchback
- trade route
- two-way
- way
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pass noun (BAD SITUATION)
[ S ] a difficult or unpleasant condition:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Difficult situations and unpleasant experiences
- a (heavy) cross to bear idiom
- a cloud on the horizon idiom
- a fate worse than death idiom
- a hard/tough row to hoe idiom
- a narrow squeak idiom
- bind
- crunch
- curse
- eventuality
- fate
- feeding frenzy
- genie
- going
- have a bumpy ride idiom
- rum
- schtuck
- shtook
- stalemate
- standoff
- vortex
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pass noun (SEXUAL ACTION)
to speak to or touch someone in a way that shows you would like to start a sexual relationship with them