pass up meaning and examples
Meaning
- Pass up means to refuse, reject, or not take advantage of an opportunity, offer, or chance.
- It often implies that the opportunity is valuable but is deliberately declined.
Grammar and Usage
- Part of speech: Phrasal verb (transitive)
- Pattern: pass up + noun (e.g., pass up an offer, pass up a chance)
- Used in both formal and informal English.
- Often used in negative constructions (“can’t pass up”).
Common Phrases
- pass up a chance
- pass up an opportunity
- pass up an offer
- pass up a promotion
Collocations
- Verb + pass up: can’t pass up, don’t pass up, shouldn’t pass up
- Noun + pass up: chance, opportunity, offer, deal, invitation
Examples
- She passed up the job offer because it required relocating.
- I can’t pass up the chance to travel abroad for free.
- Don’t pass up this opportunity; it might never come again.
- He passed up dessert because he was on a diet.
- They passed up the invitation to the party.
- You shouldn’t pass up a promotion when it’s offered.
- I almost passed up the deal, but it was too good to ignore.
- decline
- refuse
- turn down
- reject
- miss out on
Antonym
- accept
- take up
- grab (an opportunity)
- seize (a chance)
