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Glite Dictionary
to pass wind

to pass wind

1 6.5
To let gas from inside your body out through your bottom
  • phrasal verb
  • /pæs wɪnd/
  • UK
translation icon : flatulencia
  • During the meeting, he tried to be discreet and not pass wind loudly.

People do pass wind, it happens in life, But in drama, they excise out the things that would make the character look ridiculous.

Examples

  • We can't pass wind in a tent without going through them.

    The Fan (1996)

  • The gases include methane from cattle belching and passing wind, nitrous oxide from fertilizer and manure, and carbon dioxide from clearing land and feeding cattle plants.

    Blog text (19)

  • You never come all the way out here just to pass wind.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • For example, a smith complained when someone passed wind during an evening festival.

    Academic text (1999)

  • I think you're actually passing wind at this point.

    Trust (2010)

  • I never pass wind in the presence of the President of the Republic and I never do business with pimps like you.

    The Devil's Double (2011)

  • People do pass wind, it happens in life, But in drama, they excise out the things that would make the character look ridiculous.

    Film Courage

  • "Because he passes wind and picks his nose," I blurted.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The reference to the anus is all the more insulting because of Islam-based taboos against bad smells (specifically, passing wind) and immodesty near the mosque.

    Academic text (1999)

  • It's natural to pass wind sometimes, so don't be embarrassed if it happens.

Synonyms

to fart
vsto pass wind
  • NSFW
96 5.3

To push gas out through the bottom, often with a sound

is the polite expression used instead of blunt or crude words
farting
vsto pass wind
  • NSFW
12 7.7

To let gas pass out through the bottom of the body

is the more polite verb phrase, not the raw term
to pass gas
vsto pass wind
  • NSFW
5 5.9

To let gas out from your bottom

is used as a polite or euphemistic alternative
to break wind
vsto pass wind
3 6.8

To let gas out of your bottom

is a polite euphemism rather than blunt speech
breaking wind
vsto pass wind
  • NSFW
1 6.9

The act of letting gas out from the bottom, often with a sound

is polite and avoids mentioning sound or crude detail
to let out a fart
vsto pass wind
  • Offensive
1 8.1

To let air out from your bottom so it makes a sound

is a polite or softened way to refer to that action
to poot
vsto pass wind
  • Baby Talk
1 9.8

To let out a small puff of gas from the bottom in a playful way

is the polite formal term rather than a playful or childish one

Antonyms

to hold in
65 4.5

To stop yourself from showing strong feelings

How Much Gas

to fart
  • NSFW
96 5.3
to pass wind
  • UK
1 6.5
to outgas
  • Informal
8.1
burp
  • Informal
50 1.0

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

pass + wind

The meaning 'to release intestinal gas' is directly and compositionally derived from 'pass' (to expel) + 'wind' (flatulence); a learner who knows both constituent meanings will readily infer the idiom. Although euphemistic in register, the construction follows ordinary verb + object semantics and has close parallels in many languages, supporting straightforward comprehension.

Etymology

Pass wind may come from the simple picture of a small wind passing out of the body, with pass showing movement away. That's why the phrase is a polite way to say 'to fart'.