pass on

phraseB22 meaningsNot compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To pass on is to hand something to the next person — or, gently, to die. Two senses that share an idea of moving along.

The handing sense is the everyday one, so passing on a message, a book or a cost all mean transferring it onwards. It splits round an object. The dying sense is a euphemism, like pass away, and is used where died would feel too blunt. There is a third sense meaning to decline, since passing on an offer means saying no thank you.

Definitions of pass on

1phrasepass onTo hand something to somebody else.B2
“Could you pass on this message to the office?”
2phrasedeclineTo decline an offer.B2
“I think I will pass on the pudding.”

Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 4 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

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pass on

phraseB22 meaningsNot compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To pass on is to hand something to the next person — or, gently, to die. Two senses that share an idea of moving along.

Definitions of pass on

1phrasepass onTo hand something to somebody else.B2
“Could you pass on this message to the office?”
2phrasedeclineTo decline an offer.B2
“I think I will pass on the pudding.”

Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 4 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word