to pass
- verb
- /pæs/
- To earn this certificate, Hope had to pass a multistep test of basic good manners for dogs.
- pass muster
Some people pass that mark of being a killer.
- Some people pass that mark of being a killer.
- So maybe they're go, they're passing my expectations.
- And then he, Valea, says how he makes this law out to be alive passes our comprehension.
Examples
-
After completing the rigorous training, she passed the tough evaluation with flying colors.
-
Within a few weeks, John was passing all his courses but American history.
Fiction book (1996) -
Well, it certainly passes the eye test.
-
Students scoring at or above the basic level are considered to have passed the test.
Academic text (2013) -
I thought you tried to pass the detective exam.
-
Each generation can add, improve, and pass on, thus imparting a progressive character to our technological artifacts.
Academic text (1990) -
The new performance standards passed all previous benchmarks set by the organization.
-
This latest model of the car passes every safety test with ease, proving to be highly reliable.
Synonyms
To be greater than a set amount or beyond what people expect
To be better than others in a contest or ranking
To go beyond a limit or expectation
To be better than another person or thing
Show a higher level of skill or quality than before
To improve something
Do better than someone or something
Be better than a limit or what people expected
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
To give responsibility or control to another person during a planned change
Phrasal Verbs
- Specialized
Send a value or setting from a main part of a program to its smaller parts
Compounds
- Informal
An excuse that lets someone avoid rules or blame because of their position
- US
A written note from a teacher that allows a student to leave class and go into the hallway
- Specialized
A device that lets slow changes in signals pass and reduces fast changes
- NSFW
Permission from a partner to be romantic or sexual with someone outside the relationship
A mountain road through the Alps that links Innsbruck in Austria with Bolzano in Italy
A narrow mountain route between Pakistan and Afghanistan used for trade and army movements
- NSFW
A high mountain pass near Lake Tahoe where trapped pioneers ate human flesh to survive
- Jargon
A short forward pass to a player running toward the sideline in American football
- Jargon
A pass that goes sideways or backward instead of forward in American football
- Specialized
An electronic part that lets high sounds pass and reduces low sounds
- Specialized
A setting that lets signals or data pass through unchanged to another device
How Much Above
Surface Forms
Etymology
Pass comes from the Old French passer and the Latin passus, meaning 'to step beyond' or 'go past'. To pass a standard is to go beyond it, so you are better than the level or limit.