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

• 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

Silksong just passed up yesterday’s 562,000 concurrent Steam playercount record, a stunning number for a $20 indie game, though obviously boosted by its mythological status after seven years of waiting from fans. —Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025

Still, Averion and Pamela don't pass up a chance to praise their son's drive and determination as a pro star. —Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025

Now that Swift and Kelce are engaged, and with the Chiefs once again among the favorites to reach the big game, the prospect of Swift helming the halftime show might be too big to pass up. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025

The Lobos had a shot a shot to get closer early in the fourth, but Layne threw a pass up for grabs over the deep middle of the field and Brandyn Hillman intercepted it. —Larry Lage, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025

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