1 a : to move past someone or something [no obj] ▪ The boat was too tall to pass beneath/under the bridge. ▪ A flock of geese were passing overhead. ▪ Stand here and don't let anyone pass. [=move past you] —often + by ▪ They pass by the library on their way to school. ▪ I was just passing by and thought I'd stop and say hello. [+ obj] ▪ They pass the library every morning on their way to school. ▪ The ships passed each other in the night. ▪ We passed each other in the hallway without looking up. —often + by ▪ She was hoping he would stop and talk to her, but he passed her by. b : to move past someone or something that is moving more slowly in the same direction [no obj] ▪ (US) “Is it safe to pass?” [=(Brit) overtake] “No, there's a car coming in the other lane.” [+ obj] ▪ She passed two other runners just before the finish line. ▪ He passed the slower cars on the highway.
2 always followed by an adverb or preposition a [no obj] : to move or go into or through a particular place ▪ The drug passes quickly into the bloodstream. ▪ In a solar eclipse, the moon passes between the sun and the Earth. ▪ The airplane passed out of sight. —often + through ▪ Fear and panic passed through the crowd. ▪ A river passes through the middle of the city. ▪ Millions of tourists pass through the museum every year. ▪ The paper passes through the fax machine and comes out the other end. ▪ The bullet passed through his shoulder. ▪ We passed through Texas on our way to Mexico. ▪ We're just passing through. [=staying here for a very short time] b [+ obj] : to cause (something) to move or go in a specified way ▪ Pass the end of the string through the loop. ▪ He passed the rope around the pole.
3 [+ obj] : to give (something) to someone using your hands ▪ She passed the baby back to his mother. ▪ Would you please pass the salt? ▪ Pass [=hand] me the butter, please. ▪ They started passing around pictures of their trip. ▪ Take one sheet and pass the rest down/on/along. [=take one sheet and give the rest to the next person] ▪ Can you pass that screwdriver over to me?
4 sports : to throw, hit, or kick a ball or puck to a teammate [+ obj] ▪ Pass me the ball! = Pass the ball to me! [no obj] ▪ She passed to her teammate who then scored a goal.
5 [+ obj] a : to cause someone to have or be affected by (something that you have had or been affected by) ▪ The disease was passed from mother to child. = She passed the disease to her child. —often + on ▪ She contracted the disease and passed it on to her child. ▪ Gas prices have risen, forcing companies to pass the cost on to the consumer. ▪ We lowered our costs and are now able to pass on the savings to our customers. —sometimes + along ▪ We're passing the savings along to our customers. b : to give (information) to another person —often + on ▪ Doctors need to pass this information on to their patients. ▪ Everyone's invited to the party. Pass it on! [=tell people that everyone is invited] —often + along ▪ They quickly passed the word along that the meeting was postponed. ▪ He told me about it, and now I'm passing it along to you.
6 [no obj] a : to go from one person to another person ▪ The rumor quickly passed [=spread] from person to person. ▪ The book passed from hand to hand. b : to be given to someone especially according to a law, rule, etc. ▪ The throne passed to the king's son. ▪ Ownership passes to the buyer upon payment in full. ▪ After her death, the house passed into the hands of her granddaughter. [=her granddaughter became the owner of the house]
7 of time a [no obj] : to go by ▪ Several months passed before I received a reply. ▪ He became sleepy as the time passed. ▪ The days pass quickly when you're on vacation. ▪ Another day passed without any news about the whereabouts of their missing son. b [+ obj] : to let (time or a period of time) go by especially while you are doing something enjoyable ▪ He passes [=spends] his days reading and taking walks around the neighborhood. ▪ They passed the evening playing cards. ▪ We played games to pass the time on the bus. ▪ I walked over to my neighbor's house to pass the time of day. [=to have a friendly and informal conversation]
8 [no obj] a : to happen or take place ▪ The meeting passed without incident. ▪ He hoped that his mistake would pass unnoticed. [=not be noticed by anyone] —often + between ▪ A meaningful glance passed between them. [=they glanced at each other in a meaningful way] ▪ It's hard to believe that they're still friends after everything that's passed between them. b : to end or go away ▪ She couldn't let the moment pass (away) without saying something. ▪ This crisis will soon pass. [=will soon be over] ▪ A storm had just passed. ▪ They waited until it was clear that the danger had passed. ▪ They were happy once, but that time has passed. [=that time is over] ▪ The era of the traveling salesman has passed into history. [=traveling salesmen no longer exist]
9 [no obj] : to be done, said, etc., without producing a response ▪ I disagreed with what he said, but I let it pass. [=I did not say anything in response to his remark] ▪ She let his remark pass without comment.
10 [no obj] a : to not take, accept, or use something that is offered to you ▪ Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass. —often + on ▪ He passed on the cake. [=he did not eat any cake] ▪ I think I'll pass on going with you. b : to decide not to do something at a particular point in a game (such as a card game) when it is your turn ▪ “I bid three of hearts.” “I pass.”
11 a : to complete (a test, class, etc.) successfully [+ obj] ▪ He failed his driver's test the first time he took it, but he passed it the second time. ▪ I almost didn't pass my French class this semester. [no obj] ▪ “How did you do on the test?” “I passed!” b [+ obj] : to decide that (someone) has passed an examination or course of study ▪ The teacher said she couldn't pass me because I failed all of my tests.
12 a [+ obj] : to officially approve (a law, bill, etc.) ▪ Congress passed a law banning the sale of automatic rifles. ▪ The measure was passed by both the House and the Senate. ▪ We've been trying to get this legislation passed for several months now. b chiefly US : to become approved by (a legislature) [+ obj] ▪ The measure passed both the House and the Senate. ▪ The bill passed the House but was defeated/rejected by the Senate. [no obj] ▪ The proposal passed (into law). ▪ The bill failed to pass in the Senate.
13 [+ obj] formal : to say or state (something) especially in an official way ▪ Before passing sentence [=announcing the punishment], the judge commented on the seriousness of the crime. ▪ The court is now ready to pass judgment. ▪ It would be premature to pass judgment on [=to state an opinion on] his place in history. ▪ Don't pass judgment on me [=don't criticize me] until you know all the facts.
14 [+ obj] : to go beyond (a number or amount) —usually used with mark ▪ It's an extremely successful movie that has just passed [=exceeded, surpassed] the $100 million mark. [=it has earned more than $100 million] ▪ I've passed the half-century mark. [=I am over 50 years old]
15 [no obj] : to change from one state or form to another ▪ The water passes from a liquid to a gas. ▪ passing through the different stages of human development
16 [no obj] : to be good enough : to be adequate ▪ The work isn't perfect, but it will pass. [=will do]
17 [+ obj] : to illegally use (checks, bills, etc., with no real value) as money ▪ They were charged with passing bad checks. ▪ He was trying to pass counterfeit money.
18 [+ obj] : to have (something) come out from your body ▪ He had been passing blood in his urine. [=blood had been appearing in his urine] ▪ pass a kidney stone —see also pass gas at ¹gas pass water at ¹water
19 [no obj] : to die —used as a polite way to avoid saying the word “die” ▪ I'm sorry, but your grandfather has passed. —see also pass away, pass on (below)