hard pass

noun

: a firm refusal or rejection of something (such as an offer)

Then poor Gendry asks Arya to be his lady, but Arya gives him a hard pass.

—Rob Bricken

… the residents of Gunbarrel speak with a unified and unwavering voice: "No thank you, Mr. Mayor! Hard pass."

—R. M. O'Dea

That disclaimer was disregarded by some who found Turner's suggestion too extreme. A home run derby in a regular season game? Is this hockey and its penalty shootouts? Hard pass.

—Jorge Castillo

Take a hard pass on the house cocktails, and stick with beer or wine. Or skip the booze altogether …

—Greg Cox

Examples of hard pass in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On Saturday, reporters for CNN, Politico and MS NOW said that they were denied access to the White House when their hard passes no longer worked. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026

The three journalists were denied entry to the White House on Saturday and their hard passes were taken away by a Secret Service officer there, the suit says. — Dan Mangan, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026

In light of what the Heat went through with Terry Rozier, anything less than complete clarity would figure to lead to a hard pass. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 6 June 2026

The idea of Tuch may be tempting but the B’s should take a hard pass. — Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 20 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

2014, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hard pass

• alas
• amass
• bromegrass
• bypass
• crabgrass
• crevasse
• eelgrass
• eyeglass
• groundmass
• harass
• impasse
• jackass