Passover

1 of 2

noun

Pass·​over ˈpas-ˌō-vər 

: a Jewish holiday beginning on the 14th of Nisan and commemorating the Hebrews' liberation from slavery in Egypt

pass over

2 of 2

verb

passed over; passing over; passes over

transitive verb

1

: to ignore in passing

2

: to pay no attention to the claims of : disregard

Synonyms

Verb

• ignore
• forget

Examples of Passover in a Sentence

Verb

you seem to have passed over an important e-mail notice

I'd be willing to pass over this latest episode of tardiness if there hadn't been so many before.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But perhaps the most grotesque of these charges has been the blood libel — the medieval accusation that Jews murdered Christian children to use their blood in religious rituals, particularly to bake Passover matzah or turn it into ceremonial red wine. —Avi Weiss, New York Daily News, 10 Aug. 2025

Terrell also said this bill was coming up during Passover, a Jewish high holiday. —Lily Kepner, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025

Verb

The eclipse began over the South Pacific Ocean and passed over Mexico before traveling directly over 13 U.S. states from Texas to Maine. —Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025

Companies with high employee turnover, poor management structures or toxic cultures can get heavily discounted or passed over entirely. —Keegan Caldwell, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

from the exemption of the Israelites from the slaughter of the firstborn in Egypt (Exodus 12:23–27)

First Known Use

Noun

1530, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Passover

• carryover
• changeover
• crossover
• cutover
• flashover
• hangover
• holdover
• layover
• leftover
• makeover
• moreover
• pullover

Kids Definition

Passover

1 of 2 noun

Pass·​over ˈpas-ˌō-vər 

: a Jewish holiday celebrated in March or April in honor of the freeing of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt

pass over

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)pas-ˈō-vər

1

: to ignore in passing

2

: to pay no attention to

Etymology

Noun

so called because in Exodus 12:23–27 the Lord passes over the homes of the Israelites in killing the firstborn in Egypt