Skip to main content
to pass

to pass

21 6.8
To give property or rights to another person
  • verb
  • /pæs/
  • Specialized
: pasar (a)
  • This obligation passed from father to son or to whoever held the land.
  • pass property to
  • pass to succeeding generations
  • pass land to

And then he'll pass the crown on to Don Junior.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • And then he'll pass the crown on to Don Junior.

  • And now I pass my client's fate into your hands.

  • Then my brother died and everything passed to me.

  • ''l pass it on to you as my father passed it on to me.

  • The mark of what you have done will be passed from one ship to another.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • My powers will pass to Maximus... to hold in trust... until the senate is ready to rule once more.

  • For centuries, philosophers passed down to each other an old piece of moral casuistry.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The judge will pass the ownership of the property to the new buyer.

  • After years of hard work, she was finally able to pass the family business to her children.

  • The land is passed from the previous owner to the new residents upon sale.

Synonyms

to hand over
vsto pass
380 2.8

Give something to someone because you have to

refers to transferring legal rights or titles rather than mere physical control
to fall
vsto pass
92 5.8

Come to someone as a duty

focuses on actively giving ownership rather than the state of being assigned
to transfer
vsto pass
92 3.4

To make someone else the owner of something

is the general act of giving rights or titles without stressing formality
to sign over
vsto pass
  • Formal
32 4.9

Give ownership of something to another person by signing papers

is the broader act of handing over rights without naming the signing step
to change hands
vsto pass
31 3.4

To be sold or given to a new owner

denotes the act of giving rights or titles, not the change of current owner
to sign away
vsto pass
18 4.8

Give up rights or property by agreeing to it in writing

is about transferring rights to someone else rather than permanently giving them up
to devolve
vsto pass
  • Formal
5 6.6

To give duties or power to others

means moving ownership or rights but without implying downward or inherited movement
to assign
vsto pass
  • Formal
4 6.3

Give your rights in property to another person

focuses on the general moving of rights rather than this specific legal act
to convey
vsto pass
  • Formal
4 5.5

To officially give property or rights to someone

is the same result but without implying formal legal steps
to deed
vsto pass
  • Formal
1 6.4

To give property to someone using a signed paper

describes the same change but not necessarily by a formal document
to deed over
vsto pass
1 7.4

Give ownership of property to another person using a legal document

covers property or rights transfer generally, not only by formal instruments

Antonyms

291 3.4

To keep having something such as a job or possession

Idioms

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

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

6 3.5

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

3 7.8

Seem honest and believable when people check it

do not pass go
  • Informal
3 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

317 3.7

To faint or lose consciousness suddenly

264 2.7

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

242 2.7

To travel through a place without stopping for long

120 3.6

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

104 1.2

Go past someone or something without stopping

97 3.0

Go past without being noticed or taken

93 2.5

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

93 4.1

To choose not to accept a good offer or chance

78 2.7

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

To make a liquid or gas go through a filter

55 2.8

Give traditions, stories, or things to younger family members

Hand something to each person in a group

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

37 6.9

To make something or someone look real when they are not

31 3.3

To move across a place, often above the ground

30 4.1

To ignore someone or something on purpose

22 3.5

To slowly disappear or stop existing

20 3.8

To die peacefully in a gentle, respectful way

To be seen as good enough after a check

to pass go
  • Informal
12 6.7

To start the next step of a plan without delay

Make information spread among many people

11 5.2

To move across an enemy line to reach the other side

9 3.4

Give something back to the person who had it

7 5.9

To let gas out from your bottom

5 4.1

To treat criticism or an insult as not important

to pass the hat
  • Informal
4 5.5

To ask people to give money for a person or cause

2 3.7

To move something gently over a surface

to pass up
  • Informal
2 4.7

To ignore someone you meet by pretending not to see them

1 6.5

To let gas from inside your body out through your bottom

1 3.4

Give something to a teacher or official for them to check

to pass down
  • Specialized
1 4.8

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

1 7.1

To release gas or a bad smell quietly

1 7.6

To let urine come out of your body

1 3.9

To become less strong over time

Compounds

free pass
  • Informal
37 4.2

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

22 2.4

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

17 2.3

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

14 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
5 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

pass receiver
  • Jargon
4 3.9

A football player who catches passes from the quarterback

2 3.8

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

2 2.8

A successful forward pass caught by a teammate

2 7.1

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

pass catcher
  • Jargon
1 5.4

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

1 8.0

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

pass-through
  • Specialized
1 5.1

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

low-pass filter
  • Specialized
1 5.5

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

1 3.9

An opening between a kitchen and dining room for passing food

hall pass
  • NSFW
1 8.3

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

1 7.4

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

kitchen pass
  • Jargon
1 7.9

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

high-pass filter
  • Specialized
1 4.4

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

pussy pass
  • Slur
1 9.9

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

lateral pass
  • Jargon
1 5.8

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

flare pass
  • Jargon
1 7.0

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

pass-back
  • Specialized
1 3.2

A ball moved backward to a teammate to keep possession

forward pass
  • Specialized
1 4.6

A run of input data through a model to produce predictions

spot pass
  • Jargon
1 5.7

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

1 8.6

A risky pass that puts someone in danger or trouble

4.2

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

How Formal

to bequeath
  • Formal
23 8.9
to convey
  • Formal
4 5.5
transfer
435 3.2
to pass
  • Specialized
21 6.8
to hand over
380 2.8
to give
∞ 1.0

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 move across' or 'a step'. When ownership or rights pass to someone, they move across to the new person, like passing an object along.