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

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

Unfortunately, this grill is a hard pass until the issue is resolved. — Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 17 May 2026

The trimming of the sails comes amid a particularly rocky run for Bad Robot, with several ambitious projects featuring high-wattage talent getting a hard pass or stuck in development hell. — Joe Otterson, Variety, 8 Apr. 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