as in refused
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to
I must pass up the offer to be chairman of this event
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of passed up
Most general manager candidates cannot afford to be picky, especially those on the older end of the spectrum who have been passed up for previous jobs.
—
Alec Lewis, New York Times, 6 May 2026
Origin In 1976 Mattel passed up the opportunity to become the exclusive producer of Star Wars toys, which went on to become multimillion-dollar bestsellers.
—Sanat Pai Raikarall, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 May 2026
The team passed up Oregon’s Dillon Thienemen for Freeling in the first round, and Morgan decided to wait until the fifth round to dial up a safety for selection.
—Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2026
Flea markets offer one-of-a-kind finds that are hard to replace if passed up.
—Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 25 Apr. 2026
The veteran winger passed up a one-timer with the extra man about five minutes into the third period.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Retaliation can include being assigned to a station far from home, passed up for promotions or labeled a troublemaker.
—Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Edwards turned the ball over with 31 seconds left and Christian Braun got fouled at the other end after Jokic passed up a floater to tie it.
—CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
The ancient Greeks, who rarely passed up a good soak, were among the first to seek self-care in the island's plentiful thermal springs.
—Elizabeth Heath, Travel + Leisure, 31 Mar. 2026
Alec Lewis, New York Times, 6 May 2026
Origin In 1976 Mattel passed up the opportunity to become the exclusive producer of Star Wars toys, which went on to become multimillion-dollar bestsellers.
—Sanat Pai Raikarall, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 May 2026
The team passed up Oregon’s Dillon Thienemen for Freeling in the first round, and Morgan decided to wait until the fifth round to dial up a safety for selection.
—Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2026
Flea markets offer one-of-a-kind finds that are hard to replace if passed up.
—Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 25 Apr. 2026
The veteran winger passed up a one-timer with the extra man about five minutes into the third period.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Retaliation can include being assigned to a station far from home, passed up for promotions or labeled a troublemaker.
—Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Edwards turned the ball over with 31 seconds left and Christian Braun got fouled at the other end after Jokic passed up a floater to tie it.
—CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
The ancient Greeks, who rarely passed up a good soak, were among the first to seek self-care in the island's plentiful thermal springs.
—Elizabeth Heath, Travel + Leisure, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passed up
Verb
-
The stories below belong to 13 Black women who refused to be reduced to a statistic.—
Ayren Jackson-Cannady,
SELF,
29 May 2026
-
Allen refused to unload the bike, which weighed roughly 300 pounds, according to court records.—
Rose Evans
Updated May 29,
Idaho Statesman,
29 May 2026
Verb
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The ceasefire hinged on an end to Hezbollah attacks, but the group was not party to the talks and its leader rejected the pact.—
Frederik Pleitgen,
CNN Money,
5 June 2026
-
That ad, like the others, was rejected by WMATA, according to the lawsuit.—
Mike Stunson,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Those who declined frequently faced intense criticism from media outlets and activists.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
-
Major events such as Hamilton and an Issa Rae show were swiftly canceled, staff departures staggered departments and drained the organization of expertise, and ticket sales drastically declined.—
Janay Kingsberry,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
But by Wednesday night, two artists had already backed out of or turned down the opportunity.—
Kathryn Watson,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
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Reck has turned down multiple offers to move to Silicon Valley since the site launched in 2009 because Europe has clear advantages.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
28 May 2026
Verb
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That kid threw over-powering heat, but not nearly like this ox.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
-
On third-and-7, Fields threw over the middle to receiver Josh Reynolds for 6 yards, short of the first-down marker.—
Devon Henderson,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The bill passed the full Assembly floor last month and has been referred to the Senate Rules Committee.—
Kassia Bonesteel,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
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Apex, Canton, Chatham County and Gates County also recently passed 12-month moratoriums.—
Mary Ramsey
Updated June 8,
Charlotte Observer,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Leah Sylvis said Maluchnik ignored many of her emails about the need to have a discussion district having too few school psychologists.—
Ricky Sayer,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
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What those changes are — and who should bear the brunt of them — is a complicated and largely ignored debate happening right now.—
Anita Chabria,
Mercury News,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Passed up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passed%20up. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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