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Glite Dictionary
🙈 To ignore ☁️ To go across 🖐️ To touch lightly
to pass over

to pass over

1 3.7
To move something gently over a surface
  • phrasal verb
  • /pæs ˈoʊvər/
translation icon : frotar
  • She leaned across me to pass her hand over the vents along the bottom of the window.

Examples

  • He carefully passed over the surface of the wood with fine sandpaper to create a smooth finish.

  • I hold the towel in one hand like this and rub the PVC pipe against it while passing it over the center of the laden jar like this.

  • Talanne passed her hand over a spot on the solid rock.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • I passed my arm over my hot, wet face, down which sweat was pouring.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • His hand just passed over the wall, and it became transparent. "Come," Veleck said.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • When the bulk of the tonsil has been removed, the power level is lowered to 7 and then to 5 as the wand's surface slowly passes over the remaining tissue.

    Academic text (2004)

  • The artist passed over the canvas with a brush, creating gentle strokes to blend the colors together.

  • With a soft cloth, she passed over the glass to remove any dust and fingerprints.

Synonyms

to wipe
vsto pass over
531 1.0

To clean and dry a surface by rubbing it with a cloth or your hand

moves or rubs gently for motion rather than to clean
to sweep
vsto pass over
182 2.1

To move quickly and smoothly in a wide motion

is gentler and focuses on rubbing in circular gentle strokes
to brush
vsto pass over
133 1.6

To touch something lightly while passing by

involves longer gentle rubbing rather than a quick touch
to glide
vsto pass over
89 2.9

To move smoothly and without effort through the air or over a surface

usually implies gentle rubbing contact instead of effortless noncontact movement
to skim over
vsto pass over
1 3.9

To move quickly and lightly just above a surface

involves direct gentle rubbing on the surface rather than barely touching above

How Firm

to scrub
55 1.0
to rub
600 1.0
to pass over
1 3.7
to brush
133 1.6

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

pass + over

The meaning 'to move or rub something across a surface' is directly and compositionally derived from 'pass' (to move) combined with 'over' (across/above), so the core action is predictable from the parts. The subtle nuance of gentle or smooth motion is an added pragmatic detail but does not block comprehension, so a B1 learner who knows both words would generally understand this usage.

Etymology

Pass over comes from moving a hand or cloth gently over a surface, like wiping a wound or brushing dust off a table, so it means 'to move something gently across' or 'to rub lightly'.