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to pass on

to pass on

73 3.6
Decide not to accept something, for example an offer or food
  • phrasal verb
  • /pæs ɑn/
translation icon : rechazar
  • She chose to pass on the opportunity for a promotion in order to focus on her family.
  • pass on information
  • pass on knowledge
  • pass on values

I'm with you, but I can, I can pass on a lot of fights.

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Examples

  • Often, the music is simply sung and passed on through oral tradition.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Socialization describes how society passes on values, attitudes, and cultural norms from one generation to the next.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Absolutely no nation in the world would pass on it or even accept it.

  • I say we just pass on this one and fail.

  • Never pass on the opportunity for your next meal.

  • I'll pass on this one after all.

  • And loads of you have been warning me about this episode, so I should pass on the warning.

  • In many cultures, short teaching tales are used to pass on important values.

    Academic text (1995)
  • I could take the jobs I wanted and pass on the ones I didn't.

    Academic text (2011)
  • I decided to pass on the dessert at the restaurant because I was too full.

Synonyms

to pass
vsto pass on
755 1.0

To give something to another person

focuses more on giving than on refusing or relaying messages
to turn down
vsto pass on
312 2.9

Refuse an offer, invitation, or request

can also mean to pass information on rather than only refuse offers
to pass along
vsto pass on
76 2.5

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

also means to decline offers rather than only relaying information
to pass up
vsto pass on
63 4.1

To choose not to accept a good offer or chance

is broader and can also refer to relaying messages or refusing offers
to pass around
vsto pass on
32 2.1

Hand something to each person in a group

is about a single transfer or declining, not group distribution

Antonyms

793 1.0

To take something someone offers, for example a gift or invitation

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

pass + on

The sense 'to convey/relay' is directly derivable from 'pass' (give/hand) + 'on' (forward), so a learner who knows the constituents would likely infer that meaning. However, the common use 'I will pass on the dessert' meaning 'I will decline' is a pragmatic/idiomatic extension that is not fully predictable from the parts, so the item is only partly transparent.

Etymology

Pass on also has two everyday images: in a card game you pass to skip your turn and let play move to the next player, so you 'decline' the offer, and when you tell someone else you pass a message on down the line. That's why it can mean 'to decline' or 'to relay' a message.