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to pass

to pass

2.3
To officially approve a law or rule
  • verb
  • /pæs/
translation icon : aprobar
  • Notwithstanding these objections, Congress eventually passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866.
  • pass a law
  • pass a bill
  • pass legislation

Democrats generally want to pass more spending.

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Examples

  • Between 1985 and 2005, 21 states passed laws preempting local governments from passing indoor smoking restrictions.

    Academic text (2013)
  • The Senate voted to pass the new healthcare bill after weeks of deliberation.

  • One state will pass it and another state will pass exactly the same law.

  • The laws that our side will pass will not affect their life.

  • Democrats generally want to pass more spending.

  • The House of Representatives has passed the HEROES Act.

  • Global temperatures continued to increase until Congress passed a bill to reduce carbon emissions.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Ultimately, the motion to create SPS passed with just a single vote to spare.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Lawmakers are working hard to pass a new law that will protect the environment.

  • In order to improve public safety, the council aims to pass stricter regulations on building codes.

Synonyms

to approve
vsto pass
1.6

To officially agree to something or think that it is good

is specific to lawmaking and formal law creation not general agreement
to clear
vsto pass
  • Formal
209 5.5

To get official permission or approval

usually covers official consent for laws rather than any authorization
to enact
vsto pass
  • Formal
172 4.7

To make a rule into law by an official vote or order

can mean general official acceptance rather than creating law
to ratify
vsto pass
  • Formal
70 6.0

Officially approve an agreement, law, or decision

is broader, used for official lawmaking as well as confirmation
to homologate
vsto pass
  • Formal
9.9

To officially approve a product for legal or technical use

is wider, applying to lawmaking and general official acceptance
to O.K.
vsto pass
2.3

To give permission to start or use something

is a formal legal action rather than a casual authorization

Antonyms

156 4.0

To refuse to accept a decision, proposal, or law

Idioms

To do very well in a test or task, often easily

Give responsibility for your job to the person who will replace you

3 7.8

Seem honest and believable when people check it

1 3.5

To give responsibility or control to another person during a planned change

do not pass go
  • Informal
9.1

To refuse someone any further chance and make them leave immediately

To ask or hope, often in prayer, not to have a hard time

Phrasal Verbs

255 2.7

To travel through a place without stopping for long

188 3.7

To faint or lose consciousness suddenly

165 1.2

Go past someone or something without stopping

134 2.7

To give something to another person, often information or a message

76 2.5

Give news, a message, or something you received to another person

73 3.6

Decide not to accept something, for example an offer or food

68 2.7

To give things to people in a group, like papers or drinks

63 4.1

To choose not to accept a good offer or chance

48 2.8

Give traditions, stories, or things to younger family members

To make a liquid or gas go through a filter

Form an opinion about someone or something, often a critical one

Hand something to each person in a group

28 4.1

To ignore someone or something on purpose

26 3.3

To move across a place, often above the ground

23 3.4

Give something to a teacher or official for them to check

18 6.9

To make something or someone look real when they are not

17 3.0

Go past without being noticed or taken

14 5.2

To move across an enemy line to reach the other side

12 3.5

To slowly disappear or stop existing

To be seen as good enough after a check

8 3.8

To die peacefully in a gentle, respectful way

5 5.9

To let gas out from your bottom

Make information spread among many people

to pass the hat
  • Informal
3 5.5

To ask people to give money for a person or cause

2 4.1

To treat criticism or an insult as not important

1 3.7

To move something gently over a surface

to pass up
  • Informal
1 4.7

To ignore someone you meet by pretending not to see them

1 3.4

Give something back to the person who had it

to pass down
  • Specialized
1 4.8

Send a value or setting from a main part of a program to its smaller parts

1 6.5

To let gas from inside your body out through your bottom

to pass go
  • Informal
6.7

To start the next step of a plan without delay

To become less strong over time

To release gas or a bad smell quietly

7.6

To let urine come out of your body

Compounds

20 2.4

A paper or digital ticket that lets a passenger get on a plane

free pass
  • Informal
18 4.2

An excuse that lets someone avoid rules or blame because of their position

13 2.3

A written note from a teacher that allows a student to leave class and go into the hallway

11 3.4

A ticket that lets someone enter a place without paying

A low route through mountains that people or vehicles use

Hail Mary pass
  • Informal
4 8.4

A risky final attempt to succeed when little time remains

screen pass
  • Jargon
4 6.1

A short forward pass where teammates block to protect the receiver

2 3.8

A throw toward the opponent's end to move the ball downfield

pass catcher
  • Jargon
1 5.4

A player who receives forward passes, like a wide receiver or tight end

low-pass filter
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A device that lets slow changes in signals pass and reduces fast changes

hall pass
  • NSFW
1 8.3

Permission from a partner to be romantic or sexual with someone outside the relationship

1 3.9

An opening between a kitchen and dining room for passing food

1 2.8

A successful forward pass caught by a teammate

1 7.4

A mountain road through the Alps that links Innsbruck in Austria with Bolzano in Italy

1 7.1

A narrow mountain route between Pakistan and Afghanistan used for trade and army movements

8.0

A high mountain pass near Lake Tahoe where trapped pioneers ate human flesh to survive

flare pass
  • Jargon
7.0

A short forward pass to a player running toward the sideline in American football

forward pass
  • Specialized
4.6

A run of input data through a model to produce predictions

kitchen pass
  • Jargon
7.9

Permission to stop cooking for a short time, often said as a joke

lateral pass
  • Jargon
5.8

A pass that goes sideways or backward instead of forward in American football

high-pass filter
  • Specialized
4.4

An electronic part that lets high sounds pass and reduces low sounds

8.6

A risky pass that puts someone in danger or trouble

pussy pass
  • Slur
9.9

Special, unfair treatment given to a woman by others because of her gender

pass-through
  • Specialized
5.1

A setting that lets signals or data pass through unchanged to another device

pass receiver
  • Jargon
3.9

A football player who catches passes from the quarterback

pass-back
  • Specialized
3.2

A ball moved backward to a teammate to keep possession

4.2

Sending a file back to the person who handled it before for review

spot pass
  • Jargon
5.7

A throw that aims the ball at a planned place for the receiver to catch

How Official

to enact
  • Formal
172 4.7
to ratify
  • Formal
70 6.0
to pass
2.3
to adopt
440 3.2
to approve
1.6

Surface Forms

pass infinitive
passed past
passed past participle
passing present participle
passes third person singular

Etymology

Pass comes from the Old French passer and the Latin passus, meaning 'to go through' or 'move across'. To pass a law is to make the proposal go through the government, so it moves from idea to official rule.