pass by
Definition
- Verb:
- To move past or go by a specific point or person: To travel past a location or person, often without stopping or interacting.
- To elapse (of time): For a period of time to go by or be spent.
Usage
- The core meaning is to move past something or someone, often in a literal, physical sense.
- It can also be used figuratively to describe time moving forward.
- It is often used without a direct object (intransitively) or with a location/person as the object.
Examples
- Literal Movement:
- We sat on the bench and watched the people pass by.
- The bus passed by the stop without slowing down.
- Figurative (Time):
- Several years passed by before they met again.
- The afternoon passed by quickly while we were talking.
Advanced Usage
- "to let something pass by": to allow an opportunity or event to occur without taking action.
- He regretted letting the job opportunity pass by.
- Used to describe something happening without affecting someone.
- The whole argument passed by him; he wasn't paying attention.
Variants and Related Words
- Passerby (noun): A person who is walking past something, especially by chance.
- The accident was seen by several passersby.
- Passing (noun/adjective): The act of going by; going past.
- We noted the passing of the old traditions.
Synonyms
- Go by: To move past or elapse.
- Move past: To go beyond a point.
- Elapse: (For time) to pass or go by.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Pass over: To ignore or disregard.
- He was passed over for the promotion.
- Pass through: To go through a place, often without staying long.
- We only passed through the town on our way north.
Related Idioms
- Pass by on the other side: To deliberately avoid becoming involved in someone else's trouble (from a biblical parable).
- True neighbors don't pass by on the other side when someone needs help.
Verb
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move past
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A black limousine passed by when she looked out the window
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He passed his professor in the hall
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One line of soldiers surpassed the other
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