Phrasal verbs with pass

When you think about the verb "pass", imagine movement from one place to another – and this basic idea of transfer runs through most phrasal verbs with this base. Sometimes you're moving objects, sometimes ideas, and sometimes you're the one doing the moving.

The clearest examples show physical movement or transfer. You pass something around when you hand it from person to person in a group, and you pass something on when you give it to someone else. When you pass through a town, you're moving from one side to the other without staying long. Even pass by follows this pattern – you move past a place or person.

But "pass" also works with time and opportunities moving past you. An opportunity can pass you by if you don't take it, just like time passes. This connects to pass something up, where you let an opportunity move away from you by refusing it.

Some combinations show transfer across generations or between states. Families pass down traditions and knowledge to their children. People pass away or pass on when they move from life to death – these are gentle ways to talk about dying. You can even pass out when consciousness slips away from you.

The trickiest meanings involve deception, where appearance "passes" for reality. Someone might pass for a doctor if they look convincing enough, or you could pass someone off as an expert when they're not.