passerby
noun
pass·er·by
ˌpa-sər-ˈbī 
ˈpa-sər-ˌbī
plural passersby
ˌpa-sərz-ˈbī
ˈpa-sərz-ˌbī
: one who passes by
A passerby saw the accident and offered to help.
Examples of passerby in a Sentence
A passerby saw the accident and stopped to help.
Passersby were asked if they were registered to vote.
Recent Examples on the Web
At one point, a passerby knocked a drink onto a viewer who didn’t even turn away from the screen as the spiller apologized.
—
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2026
Police say 56‑year‑old Heather Asendorf was discovered by a passerby.
—Joan Murray, Miami Herald, 10 Jan. 2026
The area was badly burned, but still Simpson noticed green sprouts peeking out of the ashy soil and from the branches of trees that the average passerby might assume were dead.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
The Denver Fire Department said that a security guard was at the property at the time of the fire, but a passerby is the one who called 911.
—Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for passerby
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Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2026
Police say 56‑year‑old Heather Asendorf was discovered by a passerby.
—Joan Murray, Miami Herald, 10 Jan. 2026
The area was badly burned, but still Simpson noticed green sprouts peeking out of the ashy soil and from the branches of trees that the average passerby might assume were dead.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
The Denver Fire Department said that a security guard was at the property at the time of the fire, but a passerby is the one who called 911.
—Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for passerby
Cite this Entry
“Passerby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/passerby. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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