1 To move past or to the other side of sb/sth:

[V] Several people were passing but nobody offered to help. * I hailed a passing taxi. * The road was so narrow that cars were unable to pass. * [VN] to pass a barrier / sentry / checkpoint * She passed me in the street without even saying hello.

2 [V+adv./prep.] to go or move in the direction mentioned:

The procession passed slowly along the street. * A plane passed low overhead.

3 [VN+adv./prep.] to make sth move in the direction or into the position mentioned:

He passed the rope around the post three times to secure it. * She passed her hand across her forehead.

give

4 ~ sth (to sb) | ~ sb sth to give sth to sb by putting it into their hands or in a place where they can easily reach it:

[VN] Pass the salt, please. * They passed the photograph around (= from one person to the next). * [VN, VNN] Pass that book over. * Pass me over that book.

ball

5 ~ (sth) (to sb) (in football, hockey, etc.) to kick, hit or throw the ball to a player of your own side:

[VN] He passed the ball to Owen. * [V] Why do they keep passing back to the goalie?

after death

6 [V] ~ to sb to be given to another person after first belonging to sb else, especially after the first person has died:

On his death, the title passed to his eldest son.

become greater

7 [VN] (of an amount) to become greater than a particular total

SYNEXCEED:

Unemployment has now passed the three million mark.

change

8 [V] ~ from sth to / into sth to change from one state or condition to another:

She had passed from childhood to early womanhood.

time

9 [V] when time passes, it goes by:

Six months passed and we still had no news of them. * We grew more anxious with every passing day.

10 [VN] to spend time, especially when you are bored or waiting for sth:

We sang songs to pass the time. * How did you pass the evening?

end

11 [V] to come to an end; to be over:

They waited for the storm to pass.

test / exam

12 to achieve the required standard in an exam, a test, etc:

[V] I'm not really expecting to pass first time. * [VN] She hasn't passed her driving test yet.

OPPFAIL

13 [VN] to test sb and decide that they are good enough, according to an agreed standard:

The examiners passed all the candidates.

OPPFAIL

law / proposal

14 [VN] to accept a proposal, law, etc. by voting:

The bill was passed by 360 votes to 280.

happen

15 [V] to be allowed:

I don't like it, but I'll let it pass (= will not object). * Her remarks passed without comment (= people ignored them).

16 ~ (between A and B) to happen; to be said or done:

[V] They'll never be friends again after all that has passed between them. * [V-ADJ] His departure passed unnoticed.

not know

17 [V] ~ (on sth) to say that you do not know the answer to a question, especially during a QUIZ:

'What's the capital of Peru?' 'I'll have to pass on that one.' * 'Who wrote 'Catch-22'?' 'Pass (= I don't know).'

not want

18 [V] ~ (on sth) to say that you do not want sth that is offered to you:

Thanks. I'm going to pass on dessert, if you don't mind.

say / state sth

19 [VN] ~ sth (on sb/sth) to say or state sth, especially officially:

The court waited in silence for the judge to pass sentence. * It's not for me to pass judgement on your behaviour. * The man smiled at the girl and passed a friendly remark.

belief / understanding

20 [VN] ~ belief, understanding, etc. (formal) to go beyond the limits of what you can believe, understand, etc:

It passes belief (= is impossible to believe) that she could do such a thing.

in card games

21 [V] to refuse to play a card or make a BID when it is your turn

from the body

22 [VN] to send sth out from the body as or with waste matter:

If you're passing blood you ought to see a doctor.

IDIOMS

come to pass (old use) to happen

not pass your lips

1 if words do not pass your lips, you say nothing

2 if food or drink does not pass your lips, you eat or drink nothing

pass the hat round / around (informal) to collect money from a number of people, for example to buy a present for sb

pass muster to be accepted as satisfactory

pass the time of day (with sb) to greet sb and have a short conversation with them

pass water (formal) to URINATE

PHRASALVERBS

pass as sb/sth = PASSFORSB/STH

pass away

1 (also pass on) to die. People say 'pass away' to avoid saying 'die':

His mother passed away last year.

2 to stop existing:

civilizations that have passed away

pass by (sb/sth) to go past:

The procession passed right by my front door.

pass sb/sth by to happen without affecting sb/sth:

She feels that life is passing her by (= that she is not enjoying the opportunities and pleasures of life). * The whole business passed him by (= he was hardly aware that it was happening).

pass sth<->down [oftenpassive] to give or teach sth to your children or people younger than you, who will then give or teach it to those who live after them, and so on

pass for / as sb/sth to be accepted as sb/sth:

He speaks the language so well he could easily pass for a German. * We had some wine-or what passes for wine in that area.

pass into sth to become a part of sth:

Many foreign words have passed into the English language. * His deeds have passed into legend (= because they were so brave, important, etc.).

pass off (BrE) (of an event) to take place and be completed in a particular way:

The demonstration passed off peacefully.

pass sb / yourself / sth off as sb/sth to pretend that sb/sth is sth they are not:

He escaped by passing himself off as a guard.

pass on = PASSAWAY

pass sth<->on (to sb) to give sth to sb else, especially after receiving it or using it yourself:

Pass the book on to me when you've finished with it. * I passed your message on to my mother. * Much of the discount is pocketed by retailers instead of being passed on to customers.

pass out to lose consciousness

SYNFAINT

pass out (of sth) (BrE) to leave a military college after finishing a course of training:

a passing-out ceremony

pass sb<->over to not consider sb for promotion in a job, especially when they deserve it or think that they deserve it:

He was passed over in favour of a younger man.

pass over sth to ignore or avoid sth:

They chose to pass over her rude remarks.

pass through... to go through a town, etc., stopping there for a short time but not staying:

We were passing through, so we thought we'd come and say hello.

pass sth<->up (informal) to choose not to make use of a chance, an opportunity, etc:

Imagine passing up an offer like that!

noun

in exam

1 (especially BrE) a successful result in an exam:

She got a pass in French. * 12 passes and 3 fails * Two A-level passes are needed for this course. * The pass mark is 50%. * The school has a 90% pass rate (= 90% of students pass their exams).

official document

2 an official document or ticket that shows that you have the right to enter or leave a place, to travel on a bus or train, etc:

a bus pass * a boarding pass (= for a plane) * There is no admittance without a security pass.

of ball

3 (in some sports) an act of hitting or throwing the ball to another player in your team:

a short / long pass to Anelka * a back pass to the goalkeeper

through mountains

4 a road or way over or through mountains:

a mountain pass * They came over the top of the pass and started down towards the coast.

moving past / over

5 an act of going or moving past or over sth:

The helicopter made several passes over the village before landing.

stage in process

6 a stage in a process, especially one that involves separating things from a larger group:

In the first pass all the addresses are loaded into the database.

IDIOMS

come to such a pass | come to a pretty pass (old-fashioned or humorous) to reach a sad or difficult state:

I never thought things would come to such a pass as this. * Things have come to a pretty pass when we can't afford to pay the heating bills!

make a pass at sb (informal) to try to start a sexual relationship with sb

EXERCISES

1. Answer' the following questions.

1. What was Tarl Pricehouse's springtime habit? 2. Why did his wife, Bessie, resent it so much? 3. How had Tarl man­aged to get away from home the previous years? 4. How was he planning to leave this time? 5. How did Bessie try to persuade him to stay home? 6. What was Tarl's position in the house? 7. What story did Tarl invent? 8. How did it happen that Bessie believed his story so well? 9. What mis­take had Tarl made? 10. What was Tarl's punishment?