to pass around

Examples

• All

• We thought some extra cash might be more appreciated, so we passed the hat around.

  The World's Fastest Indian (2005)

• I then chose a different picture, and the children passed the picture around as they sat in a circle.

  Academic text (1997)

• I thought maybe you could pass those around and you could just take a minute.

• Did you take pictures and did you pass them around?

  In Country (1989)

• Come on, let's pass the cake around.

  21 Grams (2003)

• We'll pass around copies of this.

  Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects (1989)

• We're going to go ahead and pass around the collection plate while the organ plays.

  The Lucky Man (2018)

• Someone brings in a pitcher of Kool-Aid, which is passed around in paper cups.

  Fiction book (1991)

• Sheena took from her desk drawer a bag of marshmallows she'd been saving and passed some around.

  Fiction book (1994)

• At the party, we decided to pass around the snacks so everyone could try them.

Synonyms

S

to share

vsto pass around

∞ 1.0

To let other people use or have part of something

emphasizes distributing each item around the group by successive hands

P

to pass

vsto pass around

755 1.0

To give something to another person

focuses on continuous passing to everyone in the group by hand

D

to deal

vsto pass around

199 1.5

To give out cards or other things to people

uses the same allocation idea but specifically moves items around people

H

to hand out

vsto pass around

165 1.8

To give something to people in a group

moves items sequentially through the group rather than from one source

G

to give out

vsto pass around

143 2.3

To hand things to several people

emphasizes passing each item along through the group in turn

C

to circulate

vsto pass around

103 3.9

To spread information or documents among people

is narrower, focusing on physical items passed person to person

D

to distribute

vsto pass around

87 2.0

Give things to several people or places

is the informal group method of handing items person by person

P

to pass along

vsto pass around

76 2.5

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

is done by individuals handing each item to the next person

P

to pass out

vsto pass around

68 2.7

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

involves giving each person in turn rather than distributing at once

R

relay

vsto pass around

58 3.6

A group that takes turns to continue a journey or task

relies on direct person-to-person handing rather than formal team shifts

D

to dole out

vsto pass around

34 4.0

To give small amounts of something to several people over time

differs by giving each person an item in turn immediately

D

to dish out

vsto pass around

• Informal

28 3.4

To give out things to several people, often food or advice

involves deliberate sequential handing to each person rather than casual giving

D

to dispense

vsto pass around

19 3.7

To give medicine or other things to people at a pharmacy

is more informal and done by group members passing items hand to hand

D

to divvy

vsto pass around

• Informal

15 7.3

To share something among a group of people

is specifically done by passing items along from person to person

D

to divvy up

vsto pass around

• Informal

10 4.2

Share things or money between several people

involves circulating actual items through the group one by one

S

to send around

vsto pass around

5 3.2

Give a copy of something to each person in a group, for example by email

differs by relying on immediate hand-to-hand movement within the group

D

to deal out

vsto pass around

3 3.2

To give things to several people, often one by one, like cards

does similar sharing but specifically by sequential handing through the group

P

to parcel out

vsto pass around

3 4.8

To divide something into parts and give each part to different people

is about handing items sequentially to each person rather than dividing first

P

to portion out

vsto pass around

1 3.4

To divide something into parts and give each part to different people

focuses instead on moving whole items around the group by hand

Antonyms

K

to keep

∞ 1.0

To continue doing something or stay in the same state

H

to hoard

45 4.8

To collect and keep large amounts of food or other things for future use

How Widely

to circulate

103 3.9

to distribute

87 2.0

to pass around

32 2.1

to share

∞ 1.0

to give

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology