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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Recent Examples of passed up
They were blown out by the Boston Celtics on Sunday before losing by one at home to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday when Luka Doncic passed up a three and threw the ball to LeBron James, who missed a hurried, last-second three.
—
Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
The freshman made a steal in the backcourt at the other end and passed up for a two-handed slam in transition from Ross.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 26 Feb. 2026
Her family quietly passed up its own deadline to sell in January, prompting questions about whether the asking price was too high and whether The Economist’s powerful trustees were able to agree on a suitable buyer.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 23 Feb. 2026
In another nod to Vionnet, Smith passed up a show in favor of a look book starring model Jean Campbell, and an exhibition-cum-salon at the Mandarin Oriental.
—Violet Goldstone, Footwear News, 20 Feb. 2026
The first time Helena Morrissey had a child, she was passed up for a promotion.
—Katherine Fung, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
McAtamney’s lack of field goal range also played a part in this game because the Giants passed up attempts.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2025
The Oilers passed up countless quality chances at five-on-five and were seldom around the blue paint against the Devils.
—Daniel Nugent-Bowman, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
The year before, she had been passed up for the lead role in the movie adaptation of My Fair Lady, which went to Audrey Hepburn, pictured.
—Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025
Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
The freshman made a steal in the backcourt at the other end and passed up for a two-handed slam in transition from Ross.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 26 Feb. 2026
Her family quietly passed up its own deadline to sell in January, prompting questions about whether the asking price was too high and whether The Economist’s powerful trustees were able to agree on a suitable buyer.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 23 Feb. 2026
In another nod to Vionnet, Smith passed up a show in favor of a look book starring model Jean Campbell, and an exhibition-cum-salon at the Mandarin Oriental.
—Violet Goldstone, Footwear News, 20 Feb. 2026
The first time Helena Morrissey had a child, she was passed up for a promotion.
—Katherine Fung, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
McAtamney’s lack of field goal range also played a part in this game because the Giants passed up attempts.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2025
The Oilers passed up countless quality chances at five-on-five and were seldom around the blue paint against the Devils.
—Daniel Nugent-Bowman, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
The year before, she had been passed up for the lead role in the movie adaptation of My Fair Lady, which went to Audrey Hepburn, pictured.
—Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passed up
Verb
-
Gonzales has refused to step down from office after the texts were made public this week, and at least six Republicans have called for his resignation, upending another Texas race with primaries looming.—
Naomi Lim,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Feb. 2026
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Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas has refused to give the federal government a version of voter registration data including people’s social security numbers or driver’s license numbers, which current state law prohibits sharing.—
CT Mirror,
Hartford Courant,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Naperville City Council members rejected the request, arguing that the proposal made the center feel less welcoming to the Naperville community.—
Carolyn Stein,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
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Years later, when Taylor went to apply for an apartment, they were told they were being rejected because of poor credit.—
Katy Golvala,
Hartford Courant,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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LaBeouf has not entered a plea and declined to talk to reporters on Thursday after a New Orleans judge ordered him to return to drug and alcohol rehabilitation.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Gustin declined to answer specific question about the 13-year-old girl, citing privacy rules.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Even turned down a record deal with David Foster.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Ellison turned down an invitation to testify at the hearing.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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Though Brock Purdy threw over 300 yards in his return from injury, the Jaguars' defense caused five turnovers, including a strip sack that sealed the game in the fourth quarter.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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During the April 14 appointment, the student passed his naturalization test and was given the oath to become a US citizen – only to be detained by Homeland Security Investigations agents on site, according to his attorneys.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
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In 2018, the country passed a law that outlawed accusing Poland or the Polish people of complicity in Nazi crimes.—
Shira Li Bartov,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Injuries over the past year may have left him unavailable for selection, but there were times last season when his claims were ignored and others like Newcastle United’s Dan Burn and Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah (now at Bayer Leverkusen) were selected.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
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For months, Bill Clinton, 79, and Hillary Clinton, 78, largely ignored the matter in public but that became harder to sustain in December when the former president was featured prominently in the first batch of Epstein files.—
STEVEN SLOAN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Passed up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passed%20up. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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