as in to refuse
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pass up
In more congested games, Wharton looks to move the ball upfield with short, sharp passes up to his attacking team-mates, buzzing around the centre and threading them between the gaps in the opposition midfield.
—
Thom Harris, New York Times, 15 May 2025
It’s been a bumpy couple years marked by pandemic-era restraint and political polarization, but the American football championship offers an increasingly unequalled viewership too big to pass up.
—Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 11 May 2025
Midway through the second period, Mitch Marner looked like a junior player with an unnecessary blind pass up the middle of the ice and then zero effort defensively to prevent the Panthers’ third goal.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 15 May 2025
That sometimes leads to situations akin to a basketball player passing up a good shot to give a teammate a great shot.
—Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pass up
Thom Harris, New York Times, 15 May 2025
It’s been a bumpy couple years marked by pandemic-era restraint and political polarization, but the American football championship offers an increasingly unequalled viewership too big to pass up.
—Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 11 May 2025
Midway through the second period, Mitch Marner looked like a junior player with an unnecessary blind pass up the middle of the ice and then zero effort defensively to prevent the Panthers’ third goal.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 15 May 2025
That sometimes leads to situations akin to a basketball player passing up a good shot to give a teammate a great shot.
—Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pass up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pass up
Verb
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Indian officials had previously refused to confirm even a single aircraft loss.—
Billy Stockwell,
CNN Money,
31 May 2025
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However, the end of the conversation was probably the headline – that Amodei refused to rule out AI becoming self-aware in key ways.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
Verb
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Brentford have rejected an offer of around €9million (£7.6m; $10.2m) from Bayer Leverkusen for their first-choice goalkeeper Mark Flekken but negotiations are ongoing over a potential deal.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
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In December, the state Legislature initially rejected the plan because of funding ambiguities.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
Verb
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Citigroup, Bank of America and Wells Fargo declined to comment on the WSJ report.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
26 May 2025
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The State Department declined to comment on the pope’s status.—
Russ Bynum,
Chicago Tribune,
25 May 2025
Verb
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The majority did not explain its reasoning in turning down the case over weapons like the AR-15, as is typical.—
Lindsay Whitehurst,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2025
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Sadly, this is leading to more and more creators turning down partnerships while brands offer them to other creators who may not be as well-informed about topics like perpetual usage rights.—
Kristen Bousquet,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
Verb
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San Francisco’s starting pitcher, Robbie Ray, caught Blanco leaning toward the bag and threw over to first as Blanco broke to second.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
20 May 2025
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Few know the power of a piece of fabric thrown over oneself, but RuPaul does.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
28 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pass up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pass%20up. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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