as in refusing
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 passing up
Wembanyama has been passing up many reasonable 3-point looks in the preseason and only taking wide-open ones.
—
Jared Weiss, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Science scores were also mixed between grades, with 5th graders passing up 1%, 8th graders down 2% and high schoolers down 3%.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
In fact, passing up the Chiefs is the team’s top challenge entering Harbaugh’s second season.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
Jared Weiss, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Science scores were also mixed between grades, with 5th graders passing up 1%, 8th graders down 2% and high schoolers down 3%.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
In fact, passing up the Chiefs is the team’s top challenge entering Harbaugh’s second season.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passing up
Verb
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However, in recent years, health care professionals say more parents are refusing vitamin K shots for their newborns.—
Dr. Jade Cobern,
ABC News,
23 Jan. 2026
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In the Cooper case, the university did the right thing by refusing to honor the demands of powerful legislators.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Many callers are rejecting the dichotomy of Republican and Democratic labels when sharing personal political views.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2026
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In the end, Mindy says their story has never been about rejecting tradition, but expanding the idea of what love and partnership can mean.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Broward County School Board voted Wednesday to close six schools, citing declining enrollment and financial pressures after a daylong meeting that also sparked debate over potential changes to graduation venues.—
Anna McAllister,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
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But somewhere along the amicable journey toward a more independent Greenland actively involved in its own defense and security, a warming world with its increasingly accessible Arctic resources and declining sea ice caught the attention of nearly all world powers, great and small.—
Barry Scott Zellen,
Hartford Courant,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Deep into stoppage time, fans vented their spleen at the sight of Dominik Szoboszlai turning down the chance to cross into the box, instead opting to pass sideways to Ibrahima Konate.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
2 Jan. 2026
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Born in Laurel, Mississippi, on November 29, 1935, Ladd was interested in acting from a young age, even turning down a college scholarship to pursue the craft.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The zone-heavy Chargers forced Hurts to beat them by throwing over the middle — a region Hurts attacks half as often as his peers — and Hurts was inconsistent.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And then — a half-inning after Rojas’ throw — almost the same scenario played out in the top of the 10th, with Andrés Giménez throwing out Mookie Betts to (for the time being) keep the Dodgers from taking the lead.—
Levi Weaver,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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It has been played at multiple Dodger games, and Lamar is known for representing the city of Los Angeles, throwing out the first pitch at a Dodger game before and sporting their signature baseball cap.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Passing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passing%20up. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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