pass sb/sth by to happen without affecting sb/sth:
She feels that life is passing her by (= that she is not enjoying the opportunities and pleasures of life). * The whole business passed him by (= he was hardly aware that it was happening).
pass sth<->down [oftenpassive] to give or teach sth to your children or people younger than you, who will then give or teach it to those who live after them, and so on
pass for / as sb/sth to be accepted as sb/sth:
He speaks the language so well he could easily pass for a German. * We had some wine-or what passes for wine in that area.
pass into sth to become a part of sth:
Many foreign words have passed into the English language. * His deeds have passed into legend (= because they were so brave, important, etc.).
pass off (BrE) (of an event) to take place and be completed in a particular way:
The demonstration passed off peacefully.
pass sb / yourself / sth off as sb/sth to pretend that sb/sth is sth they are not:
He escaped by passing himself off as a guard.
pass on = PASSAWAY
pass sth<->on (to sb) to give sth to sb else, especially after receiving it or using it yourself:
Pass the book on to me when you've finished with it. * I passed your message on to my mother. * Much of the discount is pocketed by retailers instead of being passed on to customers.
Pass out to lose consciousness
SYNFAINT
pass out (of sth) (BrE) to leave a military college after finishing a course of training:
A passing-out ceremony
pass sb<->over to not consider sb for promotion in a job, especially when they deserve it or think that they deserve it:
He was passed over in favour of a younger man.
pass over sth to ignore or avoid sth:
They chose to pass over her rude remarks.
pass through... to go through a town, etc., stopping there for a short time but not staying:
We were passing through, so we thought we'd come and say hello.
pass sth<->up (informal) to choose not to make use of a chance, an opportunity, etc:
Imagine passing up an offer like that!
Noun
In exam
1 (especially BrE) a successful result in an exam:
She got a pass in French. * 12 passes and 3 fails * Two A-level passes are needed for this course. * The pass mark is 50%. * The school has a 90% pass rate (= 90% of students pass their exams).
Official document
2 an official document or ticket that shows that you have the right to enter or leave a place, to travel on a bus or train, etc:
a bus pass * a boarding pass (= for a plane) * There is no admittance without a security pass.
Of ball
3 (in some sports) an act of hitting or throwing the ball to another player in your team:
a short / long pass to Anelka * a back pass to the goalkeeper
Through mountains
4 a road or way over or through mountains:
a mountain pass * They came over the top of the pass and started down towards the coast.
moving past / over
5 an act of going or moving past or over sth:
The helicopter made several passes over the village before landing.
Stage in process
6 a stage in a process, especially one that involves separating things from a larger group:
In the first pass all the addresses are loaded into the database.
IDIOMS
come to such a pass | come to a pretty pass (old-fashioned or humorous) to reach a sad or difficult state:
I never thought things would come to such a pass as this. * Things have come to a pretty pass when we can't afford to pay the heating bills!