passing up

verb

present participle of pass up
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of passing up The Emmys’ producers passing up on even the slightest possibility of a Werner Herzog acceptance speech is sheer lunacy. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 20 June 2026 The Supreme Court is staying out of a case about whether the Catholic Church misled parishioners about the purpose of an annual collection, passing up a chance to probe the independence churches have from government interference. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 26 May 2026 Simpson was back in Los Angeles for the first time since April 24, the day after the seemingly Super Bowl-ready Rams surprised many by passing up the opportunity to select a receiver to choose an Alabama quarterback with only 15 starts. — Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026 But Belchetz, though imperfect, is a bit of a unicorn that teams will have a tough time passing up on in this range. — Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 7 May 2026 Charles compared people passing up investing in Amazon to how many publishers turned down the now wildly popular Harry Potter books. — Kevin Liptak, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2026 Meanwhile, Nazem Kadri is passing up shots and sometimes looks uncomfortable gripping his stick right now. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026 During the costly possession when the Rebels let the shot clock expire with 41 seconds left, Thienou surprised her coach by passing up a shot while the crowd was roaring and clearly distracting the visitors. — CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026 Redick pointed to Luka Doncic’s season-high 15 assists, which were lost in the noise of the Slovenian star passing up a potential game-winning 3-pointer. — Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passing up
  1. refusing
  2. rejecting
  3. declining
  4. turning down
  5. throwing over
  6. throwing out
Verb
  • Wars cannot be fought on ideology alone – a truism that perhaps led to the firebrand former defense minister’s departure, after months of clashes and refusing to deal with the army top brass, as Zelensky describes it.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Larkin, whose grassroots campaign made national headlines in recent weeks, often criticized Moskowitz for refusing to debate him or participate in joint interviews with local news organizations.
    — Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of refusing
Verb
  • The issue has split circuit courts, with the 9th Circuit (which Idaho is part of) and six other circuit courts rejecting the administration’s position.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 20 Aug. 2026
  • These critiques assume that people rejecting vaccines have access to good information about them, but that’s not always the case, Marnik said.
    — Felice J. Freyer, STAT, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of rejecting
Verb
  • The Swift Observatory has been observing the cosmos for more than two-decades, but its rapidly declining orbit has put it in jeopardy of reentering Earth's atmosphere and burning up.
    — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
  • In addition, authorities criticized John and Patsy for declining formal police interviews for several months.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of declining
Verb
  • For McConaughey, turning down The Last of Us was less about the material and more about his own life’s circumstances.
    — Shelby Stivale, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Here are six signs that turning down a job offer deserves serious consideration.
    — Kathy Caprino, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of turning down
Verb
  • Tatis dealt with Patrick throwing over twice, and catcher Gary Sánchez snapping off a pickoff throw.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Later in the inning, though the run would have likely scored anyway, the usually strong relay combination of center fielder Andy Pages and Betts ended with Betts throwing over catcher Ben Rortvedt.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of throwing over
Verb
  • The team has also maintained a relationship with his widow and daughters, with Bianka Bryant throwing out the first pitch and Capri Bryant announcing the start of the game during a bobblehead night for the late legend last year.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 31 July 2026
  • McCray impacted the game on the bases by stealing second and on a sacrifice fly, then showed off his arm in the top of the 10th by throwing out a runner at third to end the inning.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 25 July 2026
Definition of throwing out

Browse Nearby Words

passings
passing up
pass (into)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Passing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passing%20up. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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