pass up

verb

passed up; passing up; passes up

transitive verb

: to let go by without accepting or taking advantage of

pass up a chance for promotion

also : decline, reject

Synonyms of pass up

• refuse
• reject
• decline
• turn down
• throw over

Examples of pass up in a Sentence

I must pass up the offer to be chairman of this event.

Recent Examples on the Web

Remake includes footage of Adrian urging his father to consider Carr’s offer, and gently scolding him for having passed up certain opportunities to make money—money that would have made the family's life better—off his filmmaking acumen. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 July 2026

But in its filing, the Times’ legal team wrote that the person chosen for the role as deputy real estate editor was more qualified than the person who was passed up for the job, Bryant Roussau. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 10 July 2026

Like Messi against Egypt, Mbappe passed up the opportunity for a more routine addition to his tally with a tame penalty effort in the first half. — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 9 July 2026

That play effectively started once defender Tim Ream tracked down a goal kick near the half-line, then passed up to Tyler Adams for a nonchalant back-heel pass to Tillman. — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 2 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pass up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup