PASSED UP Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

passed up

verb

past tense of pass up

as in refused

to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to I must pass up the offer to be chairman of this event

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 passed up With three minutes left in the half, Jokic passed up a platter of open shots, and his pass found Tyus Jones on the left wing, who swung it to the corner as Utah’s defense rotated. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2026 Coach Todd Bowles passed up a 65-yard field-goal attempt by Chase McLaughlin, who made one from that distance last year. — ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026 After her senior year, Fisher passed up several offers to study law on the West Coast. — Benjamin Wofford, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026 Another time, deep in Rutgers territory, Riley passed up on a fourth-quarter field goal on fourth down, only for USC’s fourth-down pass to come up short. — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026 By rolling back, or reducing, its levy rate by 65 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, the district effectively reduced homeowners’ taxes but passed up $22 million in extra revenue that year. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026 What information no longer needs to be collected, reconciled, summarized, and passed up a chain of people before anyone acts? — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026 Three years ago, Anthony Romani was passed up in the 2023 NHL Draft. — Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 28 July 2026 But ultimately, Klaveness passed up the chance to render a broader verdict. — Tom Kludt, Vanity Fair, 17 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for passed up

Verb

Bolsonaro has refused to concede defeat and has made unsubstantiated accusations of election fraud.

— MATTHEW LEE, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026
Western institutions in recent years refused to invest in gas infrastructure, arguing countries would be locked into fossil fuel dependence.

— Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of refused

Verb

The Offer At My Front Door During my time on the council, a developer appealed to us after the planning board rejected his plan for condos overlooking the largest lake in town.

— Jim Carlough, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
The bill is due before lawmakers on Tuesday, after the finance committee rejected it.

— Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of rejected

Verb

But Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, widely viewed as a potential top contender for the position, has declined to pledge not to run.

— Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Aguilar declined to take the rest of the day off but then activated the fire alarm system after the meeting and tried to leave the building.

— Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of declined

Verb

Harbach spent a decade writing it; it was turned down by umpteen literary gatekeepers; eventually, one plucky young agent took a chance on it, and a bidding war ensued.

— Malcolm Forbes, Christian Science Monitor, 26 Oct. 2026
Skerritt originally turned down the role as Captain Dallas of the doomed spacecraft Nostromo in Alien (1979) after fearing that the film’s budget would be consumed by special effects.

— Chris Koseluk, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of turned down

Verb

One of the highlight plays of the first two days was a beautiful ball Prescott threw over the top of cornerback Caelen Carson directly into the hands of Pickens running up the left sideline.

— Jon Machota, New York Times, 31 July 2026
That kid threw over-powering heat, but not nearly like this ox.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026

Definition of threw over

Verb

The City Council voted it down, and the mayor's opponents passed an alternate budget plan over his objections.

— Chris Tye, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
The property later passed through several notable hands, including Creative Artists Agency (CAA) co-chairman Kevin Huvane and filmmaker Roberto Sneider, before Channing Tatum picked it up for $6 million in 2015, according to Variety.

— Michael Gioia, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of passed

Browse Nearby Words

passed over

passed up

passel

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Passed up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passed%20up. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of passed up

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

grotesque

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes