PASSING UP Synonyms: 87 Similar and Opposite Words

passing up

verb

present participle of pass up

as in refusing

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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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 passing up That means passing up moments that are far more magical to me than to Leo. — Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026 Seoul claims Ukraine requested secrecy to avoid domestic criticism for passing up the opportunity to exchange the North Koreans for Ukrainian prisoners held in Russia. — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 29 Sep. 2026 The game featured a fourth-quarter comeback by Mizzou and a Tigers fan passing up a chance to win $25k to troll the Jayhawks instead. — Justin Williams, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 The Emmys’ producers passing up on even the slightest possibility of a Werner Herzog acceptance speech is sheer lunacy. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 20 June 2026 The Supreme Court is staying out of a case about whether the Catholic Church misled parishioners about the purpose of an annual collection, passing up a chance to probe the independence churches have from government interference. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 26 May 2026 Simpson was back in Los Angeles for the first time since April 24, the day after the seemingly Super Bowl-ready Rams surprised many by passing up the opportunity to select a receiver to choose an Alabama quarterback with only 15 starts. — Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026 Meanwhile, Nazem Kadri is passing up shots and sometimes looks uncomfortable gripping his stick right now. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026 During the costly possession when the Rebels let the shot clock expire with 41 seconds left, Thienou surprised her coach by passing up a shot while the crowd was roaring and clearly distracting the visitors. — CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for passing up

Verb

Even to the point of being fined and sanctioned by the European Union courts for refusing to open their gates to unchecked immigration, in Hungary’s case under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, while Poland faced sanctions in 2025.

— Tyler Speicher, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Carolyn Marvin was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after blocking the path of an Uber delivery robot and refusing to get out of the way.

— Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of refusing

Verb

This may involve rejecting a command, removing write access, isolating the AI, transferring control back to the operator or moving equipment into a safe state.

— Gregory Shahnovsky, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
The sense was that the people who were rejecting the Keynesian model were throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

— Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of rejecting

Verb

Women naturally store less creatine than men, and during perimenopause and menopause, declining estrogen can take a toll on both muscle health and mental clarity.

— Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 15 Oct. 2026
The result has been sturdy economic growth, even as lower-income and even middle-income households have continued to struggle under stubborn inflation and declining earnings.

— Rob Wile, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of declining

Verb

John only found peace by giving up the ring, turning down the gig, and forging his own path.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2026
The woman accused of keeping him captive, 58-year-old Kimberly Sullivan, is expected to head to trial after turning down two plea deals during a hearing in Waterbury Superior Court earlier this month.

— Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of turning down

Verb

In his breakout season in 2025, Maye showed that one of his quarterbacking superpowers is throwing over the middle of the field.

— Daniel Popper, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Tatis dealt with Patrick throwing over twice, and catcher Gary Sánchez snapping off a pickoff throw.

— Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of throwing over

Verb

Florida’s law banning minors under 14 from getting their own social media accounts is likely constitutional, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday, throwing out a lower court’s preliminary injunction against the law.

— Gray Rohrer, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
Supermarket owners described throwing out nearly a dumpster’s worth of frozen food.

— Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of throwing out

Browse Nearby Words

passings

passing up

pass (into)

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Style

“Passing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passing%20up. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of passing up

verb

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