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

Even if October passes without another conflagration, November brings its own hazards. — Ali Vaez, Time, 21 Oct. 2026 Equatic pumps seawater through an electrolyzer, where an electric current passes through a sandwich of plastic and metal plates and separates the water into two streams, one alkaline and one acidic, while also producing oxygen and hydrogen. — Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026 The Panthers are coming off a 59-0 victory over Nevada Community; Heritage sophomore quarterback Lane Vargas tossed eight TD passes. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026 The Eureka Waterfront Trail skirts Humboldt Bay and passes through historic downtown Eureka. — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026 Malik Willis must become a more efficient QB Willis enters this weekend as the least productive quarterback of everyone who has thrown at least 50 passes this season. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026 Devon Dampier threw for 278 yards and a pair of TD passes to Braden Pegan. — ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026 Tremble had good reason for such high praise Sunday, as both of Young’s TD passes went to him. — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 18 Oct. 2026 Even if Congress passes a federal film incentive, state lawmakers argue that California must do more to compete for film jobs. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026

Noun

Also, not much pressure from the Chiefs as Sam Darnold’s quick passes were often on target. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026 McMahan, a senior, had five receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown, blocked a field goal, recovered a fumble, had six solo tackles and intercepted three passes, returning one 60 yards for the clinching touchdown. — Todd Holcomb, AJC.com, 26 Oct. 2026 But Badger quarterback Colton Joseph didn’t have an incompletion in the second half, completing his final 10 passes. — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026 Winding through arid basins and rocky mountain passes, the road to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center climbs to 2,500 feet before opening into the vast expanses of the Mojave high desert. — Aarne Heikkila, NBC news, 26 Oct. 2026 Taaffe became the first Dolphins player since Patrick Surtain in 1998 to pick off multiple passes in his first six NFL games. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026 The next day, journalists found their passes had been deactivated. — Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026 Google uses this option for creating other types of passes from a photo. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 All-Pro receiver Puka Nacua, who caught 17 passes last week, somehow received only three targets against Arizona before the Rams' desperate final drive. — ABC News, 19 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for passes

Verb

At their on-screen meet cute, Apatow hands Bamford $500 cash just to pitch her on her own documentary.

— Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026
Every task a person hands to an agent is another chance for something to go wrong.

— Anat Lior, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of hands

Verb

The New Braunfels, Texas, resident kept a frenetic touring schedule, headlining major Texas venues and mid-sized dance halls around the country, with occasional arena or amphitheater stops opening for Koe Wetzel thrown in.

— Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2026
Nighttime mouth breathing is associated with snoring, dry mouth, receding gums and sleep apnea, a disorder in which breathing stops repeatedly during sleep.

— Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of stops

Verb

Its planned delivery in June 2030 leaves several years for detailed design and construction before the platform can begin operations.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
In many cases, the absence of documentation leaves Casey’s personal involvement in key decisions unclear.

— Marc Levinson, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of leaves

Verb

The legislation enacts new work requirements and greater vetting for Medicaid, the low-income program that thousands of Alaskans depend on for healthcare.

— Matthew Choi The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
The rest of the network enacts the decision, as other genes are activated or suppressed farther downstream, but isn’t active in it.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of enacts

Verb

For the technology leader responsible for keeping essential services running, these details provide a basis for assessing what protections exist and what happens in an extreme scenario.

— Margot Edelman, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
The conversational layer may be what a borrower sees, but the difficult work happens deeper in the stack, where documents, rules, calculations, decisions, and transaction states have to remain connected.

— Ethan Stone, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of happens

Verb

To strengthen the troublesome solar cell interface, the NIMTE research team inserted an ultra-thin indium chloride intermediate layer that undergoes a localized reaction upon heating.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
The Plaza Hotel will close in January 2027 for at least four years as the landmark undergoes extensive restoration work, the hotel said in a press release shared with Fox News Digital.

— Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of undergoes

Verb

Rao wrote and co-produced the comedy, and nobody in it utters a line.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Oct. 2026
Over the course of Decay, Godflesh‘s 10th and supposedly penultimate album, frontman Justin Broadrick utters less than 150 words total in just 42 minutes.

— Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2026