pass by

See also: passby

English

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /pɑːs ˈbaɪ/
(US) IPA^(key): /pæs ˈbaɪ/
Audio (US): (file)

Verb

pass by (third-person singular simple present passes by, present participle passing by, simple past and past participle passed by)

(intransitive) To travel past without stopping. [from 14th c.]
I noticed my wife pass by with a bag of shopping.
- 2014 October 27, Taylor Swift, Ryan Tedder, “I Know Places (Taylor's Version)”, in 1989 (Taylor's Version)‎^[1], performed by Taylor Swift, published 27 October 2023:
  I can hear them whisper as we pass by
  It's a bad sign, bad sign
(transitive) To travel past (something) without stopping; (figurative) to ignore, to disregard. [from 14th c.]
I had the distinct worry that happiness would pass me by.
- 1941 August, C. Hamilton Ellis, “The English Station”, in Railway Magazine, page 358:
  Though these notes have no pretensions to being a comprehensive catalogue, we cannot pass Euston by. Euston is not a typically English station.
- 1968, Ringo Starr, “Don't Pass Me By”, performed by The Beatles:
  You'll never know it hurt me so, I'll hate to see you go / Don't pass me by / Don't make me cry
- 1981 January 23, Billy Idol, Tony James, “Dancing with Myself”, in Kiss Me Deadly, performed by Generation X:
  But your empty eyes seem to pass me by / Leave me dancing with myself
(intransitive, of a period of time) To elapse. [from 15th c.]
Nearly a year has passed by since I first laid eyes on him.
(Philippines) To drop by.

Synonyms

(to travel past): go by; see also Thesaurus:pass by
(to ignore): misregard; see also Thesaurus:ignore
(to elapse): pass; see also Thesaurus:elapse

Translations

go by — see go by

Anagrams

by-pass, bypass