pass up

verb

passed up; passing up; passes up

transitive verb

: to let go by without accepting or taking advantage of
pass up a chance for promotion
also : decline, reject

Examples of pass up in a Sentence

I must pass up the offer to be chairman of this event.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Still, the opportunity to grow a retail business into a wealth platform was too exciting to pass up. Lindsey Choo, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025 Red Robin put the passes up for sale on April 17 for just $20. Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025 Putin, bent on total victory, may regret passing up the extraordinary chance offered by Trump to end his disastrous Ukraine war and cut his country’s substantial losses. Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 18 Apr. 2025 School leaders are parsing which of these technologies might become essential and which should be passed up. Dana Goldstein, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pass up

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pass up was in 1896

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pass up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pass%20up. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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