passes (on)

verb

present tense third-person singular of pass (on)
as in dies
to stop living my grandfather passed on at the age of 92

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for passes (on)
  1. dies
  2. falls
  3. passes away
  4. kicks off
  5. perishes
Verb
  • When Kelekele Lituka, a wrestler who became world champion in 1974, dies in 2021, he’s buried with little fanfare.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Hong long ago deleted the post, for obvious reasons, but nothing on the internet ever really dies.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of dies
Verb
  • That way if one of its holdings falls, the others are positioned to take up the slack, provided the economy is strong.
    — Michael Foster, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The impact falls disproportionately on women, who have left the workforce in droves, according to Challenger, Gray and Christmas.
    — Medora Lee, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of falls
Verb
  • This leaves the king with only one living son, Prince Yeongan, who quickly begins to show signs of mortal peril and also passes away mid-way through the series.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 17 July 2026
  • Also, after your parent passes away, the account would legally be yours.
    — Sarah Agostino, CNBC, 15 May 2026
Definition of passes away
Verb
  • Modest Mouse’s tour kicks off August 4 in Ojai, California and concludes October 23 in Sacramento.
    — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The event, featuring 14 bouts, kicks off with an early start, streaming exclusively on Paramount+.
    — Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of kicks off
Verb
  • In The Children, sister and brother Guinevere and Ennis grow up under the shadow of their mother, Edith Sharpe, whose Ninth City children’s book series transfixes the world until Edith perishes in a mysterious fire in Vermont.
    — Hamilton Cain, Time, 7 July 2026
  • Every soldier Harry would have saved on a transport during the war perishes too.
    — Margaret Heidenry, Vanity Fair, 24 Dec. 2025
Definition of perishes
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

passes off
passes (on)
passes out
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Passes (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passes%20%28on%29. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of invidious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All