pass away

Idioms and Phrases

Also, pass on or over . Die, as in He passed away last week , or After Grandma passes on we'll sell the land , or I hear he's about to pass over . All these terms are euphemisms for dying, although the verb pass alone as well as pass away have been used in the sense of “pass out of existence, die” since the 1300s. The two variants—adding on [c. 1800] and over [c. 1900]—allude to moving to some other-worldly realm.

Example Sentences

If you have children, you’ll also want to include a guardian if both you and your partner pass away.

From Salon

Recounting one particularly vulnerable moment in a diner bathroom — post-milkshakes, no Lactaid in sight — Slate wistfully describes “that feeling, like, when you can tell you’re about to pass away.”

From Los Angeles Times

Often homes become empty when the owners pass away, leading to a long administrative process known as probate, when their assets are divided up.

From BBC

He was 76, and the first of my dad’s seven siblings to pass away.

From Los Angeles Times

I’m not going to reveal whether the dog dies, but it’s fair to tell you that its owner, a famous author played by Bill Murray, does pass away at the outset.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• die
• expire
• perish
• succumb