as in to refuse
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to
I must pass up the offer to be chairman of this event
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Recent Examples of pass up
But Belchetz, though imperfect, is a bit of a unicorn that teams will have a tough time passing up on in this range.
—
Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 7 May 2026
Origin In 1976 Mattel passed up the opportunity to become the exclusive producer of Star Wars toys, which went on to become multimillion-dollar bestsellers.
—Sanat Pai Raikarall, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 May 2026
Don’t pass up this fun way to get around this charming town.
—Karon Warren, AJC.com, 30 Apr. 2026
Charles compared people passing up investing in Amazon to how many publishers turned down the now wildly popular Harry Potter books.
—Kevin Liptak, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pass up
Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 7 May 2026
Origin In 1976 Mattel passed up the opportunity to become the exclusive producer of Star Wars toys, which went on to become multimillion-dollar bestsellers.
—Sanat Pai Raikarall, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 May 2026
Don’t pass up this fun way to get around this charming town.
—Karon Warren, AJC.com, 30 Apr. 2026
Charles compared people passing up investing in Amazon to how many publishers turned down the now wildly popular Harry Potter books.
—Kevin Liptak, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pass up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pass up
Verb
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That’s still intense emotional and intellectual material for a mainstream TV series, but the Muschiettis, much like King, refuse to frame their work as an abstract allegory.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
19 May 2026
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DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng—a hedge fund billionaire who controls nearly the entire company—has spent years refusing outside money.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Libby Savill, the deputy chair of Southbank Centre, outright rejected the allegations.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
19 May 2026
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That could be fine if people knew when to rely on AIs and when to reject them.—
Gautam Mukunda,
Mercury News,
19 May 2026
Verb
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McGrail says Janet declined and put an end to the evening.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
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Schoenbrun’s third feature, Teenage Sex & Death at Camp Miasma stars Einbinder as an enthusiastic young director who is tasked with resurrecting the Camp Miasma slasher franchise after years of subpar sequels and declining fandom.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
Verb
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To overcome it, most people are able to focus on a single speaker's voice, which cues the brain to amplify that sound and turn down the rest.—
Jon Hamilton,
NPR,
14 May 2026
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The opportunity to interview these people would never have been turned down by other organizations, but there was also a sense that these dictators and terrorists and authoritarians were realizing that CNN were giving them this unfiltered platform to speak to the American people.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Verb
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That kid threw over-powering heat, but not nearly like this ox.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
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Just make sure to bring a cardigan or two with you to throw over it—cruises are known to blast the air conditioning in the dining rooms and theatres.—
Rebecca Shinners,
Travel + Leisure,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pass up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pass%20up. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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