as in refuses
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 passes up
Tampa Bay passes up on a few top edge rushers here (Miami’s Akheem Mesidor and Auburn’s Keldric Faulk) because of the depth at the position and instead nabs McCoy before a few other corner-needy teams.
—
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
And because Amazon never passes up an opportunity to throw a good sale, members just got extra lucky.
—Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2026
McVay passes up the field goal and Stanford throws incomplete again.
—Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News, 27 Jan. 2026
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
And because Amazon never passes up an opportunity to throw a good sale, members just got extra lucky.
—Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2026
McVay passes up the field goal and Stanford throws incomplete again.
—Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passes up
Verb
-
Each person gets a single scene but feels utterly real, with Will Dagger a standout as the cousin, leaking needy bravado, and Constance Shulman very funny as the funeral director, determined to stage a party for a host who refuses to throw one.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
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The journalist turns his attention to Oda Sotatsu, a man who has admitted to a string of disappearances but refuses to speak another word after surrendering to police.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
In many ways, the collection rejects the rigidity that has long defined traditional menswear, prioritizing emotional connection and ease over overt trend cycles or hyper-masculine dressing.—
Karin Eldor,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
The island's ruling party rejects that claim.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
As his mobility declines, he’s been unable to extend plays to attack downfield and has appeared unwilling to take some of the contact necessary to create explosive plays.—
Mike DeFabo,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
As Simpson declines, the actress appears frail, diminished, stripped of poise and makeup.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Passes up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passes%20up. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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