PASSES Synonyms: 519 Similar and Opposite Words

passes 1 of 3

verb

present tense third-person singular of pass

as in hands

to shift possession of (something) from one person to another could you please pass me the phone?

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Relevance

as in stops

to come to an end eventually, the storm passed

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as in leaves

to put (something) into the possession or safekeeping of another pass your forms to the department head once they're filled out

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as in enacts

to put into effect through legislative or authoritative action Congress cannot pass any law restricting free speech

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as in happens

to take place and the destruction of the town came to pass, just as the seer had predicted

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as in undergoes

to come to a knowledge of (something) by living through it a presidential candidate who doesn't yet know how it feels to pass the scrutiny of the national press

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as in utters

to express (a thought or emotion) in words he'll occasionally pass some insightful comment, but in general he doesn't have much to contribute

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as in refuses

to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to we appreciate the invitation to the party, but we'll have to pass I'll pass on the coffee

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as in flies

to withstand scrutiny and gain acceptance or approval the finished product isn't perfect, but it will pass

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passes

2 of 3

noun (1)

plural of pass

as in canyons

a narrow opening between hillsides or mountains that can be used for passage a mountain pass that was impassable during the winter

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as in routes

a passage cleared for public vehicular travel take the second pass on the right

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passes

3 of 3

noun (2)

plural of pass

as in tickets

a small sheet of plastic, paper, or paperboard showing that the bearer has a claim to something (as admittance) a pass to leave the military base for the weekend

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as in tries

an effort to do or accomplish something a final pass at the assignment

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as in accomplishments

the state of being actual or complete eventually, all their career goals came to pass

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of passes

Verb

Susan is appropriately horrified, but once her disgust passes, the now-exes share a tender moment. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026 The equinox occurs when the sun’s center passes through the imaginary line from the north to the south. — Alexiah Syrai Olsen, Idaho Statesman, 3 Sep. 2026 Light that passes through the retina can be reflected back across its photoreceptors, giving the deer’s eyes another opportunity to detect it. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026 Stopgap spending bill passes House The House voted yesterday to pass a stopgap government-funding bill that temporarily blocks the White House’s proposal to give political appointees more control over federal research grants. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 2 Sep. 2026 The modulator passes a laser beam through this hologram in the form of a 10-by-10 grid pattern of distinct spatial modes that function as pixels. — IEEE Spectrum, 2 Sep. 2026 Grounds passes to day sessions this week were reselling for over $300 on Ticketmaster, up from their list price of $65. — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 1 Sep. 2026 In the city today, the Salt River is mostly reduced to a wide, dusty trough that passes unceremoniously under freeway bridges. — Alex Hager, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026 Then Cloherty threw seven TD passes and the Caravan rallied for a 48-44 win. — Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026

Noun

In the wake of Antonio Silva’s move to the Premier League, Benfica should suit Circati, who is also comfortable moving the ball forward through adventurous carries and long passes from defence. — Thom Harris, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026 Knowles had seven catches for 176 yards and a pair of TDs last week while Tomcheck threw for 318 yards completing 20 of 27 passes and two touchdowns. — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2026 Here are the brightest and highest passes of Tiangong, as seen from New York City, according to Heavens Above. — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Carr led the Fighting Irish to 10 straight wins to end last season and finished with 24 touchdown passes, most by a Notre Dame quarterback through 12 starts since 1966. — ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026 The Laveen location was expected to be a 75,000-square-foot facility and will offer both hourly and daily passes that include access to all attractions. — Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Reed, who caught two touchdown passes this preseason and flashed all training camp. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 31 Aug. 2026 Quarterback Nathaniel Cadet has been throwing precision passes. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 In recent years, New Delhi has debuted ambitious new tunnels and railways cutting through mountain passes that too could enable Himalayan deployment of military and other resources. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for passes

Verb

The consultant reasons by filling a notebook with calculations, then hands you a one-sentence answer, and keeps the notebook.

— Adam Fish, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
One day, a stranger hands you a tablet and asks you to identify the correct words in a passage or find information in a chart.

— Jennifer D. Kobrin, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of hands

Verb

The metalpoint tool sometimes slips or skitters; the fountain pen sometimes stops working—though, deprived of vision, the artist is unaware, and keeps drawing the now-invisible line.

— Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
There’s a tender, surprising moment of reconciliation in the novel’s final pages — the place where story stops.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of stops

Verb

Xenex LightStrike Infections acquired inside hospitals remain a serious problem, especially when harmful germs survive on surfaces after a patient leaves a room.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
Measles spreads through the air and can remain in a room for up to two hours after an infected person leaves.

— Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of leaves

Verb

Trump quickly enacts a temporary 10% global levy using a different law.

— Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2026
Undaunted, Demczur used his squeegee blade to carve a hole in the plaster so the men could kick through the wall to escape—a process Demczur re-enacts for the series.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of enacts

Verb

But the extremely rapid pace here also raises concern about what happens if, or when, the boom starts to dissipate.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
When that happens, continue beating until the mixture is smooth and some of the batter sticks to the sides of the bowl, another minute or so.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of happens

Verb

While both undergo steps in manufacturing to eliminate potentially harmful microorganisms, liquid infant formula in ready-to-feed bottles undergoes an additional sterility step to become commercially sterile.

— Dr. Jade Cobern, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
Historic Preservation Commission members voted Thursday to approve exterior changes to the mansion’s original design plan as the building, now more than a century old, undergoes restoration and renovation as part of a new residential development.

— Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of undergoes

Verb

In Japanese, the hero utters the name of the series to a villain in a parting one liner.

— Gene Park, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2026
At the film’s end, Abbie Cornish as Fanny hears secondhand about Keats’s death and utters a cry that is almost too much to bear — a cry that feels too real.

— Sarah Chihaya, Vulture, 16 July 2026

Definition of utters

Verb

But Buddy, the feature debut of Casper Kelly, lets the genre’s relentlessly upbeat tone slowly curdle in the opening sequence, in which one of the kids refuses to play along with day’s lesson about being brave and trying new things.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
With his final book, however, Morris refuses to draw conclusions, letting the ambiguity of Surrealists’ meanings stand.

— Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026