make a pass at

1. Flirt or make advances to someone, especially of a sexual nature, as in “Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses” (Dorothy Parker, Not So Deep As A Well , 1936). [1920s]

2. Also, take a pass at . Make an attempt, as in I've made a pass at opening it but had no luck , or Jake, will you take a pass at changing the oil? This usage employs pass in the sense of a “jab” or “poke.” [ Colloquial ; 1900s] Also see make a stab at .

Example Sentences

“We told them that nobody would make a pass at them,” Oliver said.

From Washington Post

If this woman wanted to make a pass at you, though, wouldn’t she do it in the privacy of your one-on-one chats, rather than at a distance, in front of other parents and possibly your spouses?

From New York Times

The internet did what the internet does after San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo appeared to make a pass at veteran sideline reporter Erin Andrews following Thursday night’s game.

From Fox News

Several colleagues who worked with him for years said that they were genuinely surprised by the accusations — saying that they had seen him as a someone who might flirt or make a pass at women, but not harass them.

From New York Times

Their efforts end up telling us something about what it means to assess our lives without giving up on ourselves: “We make a pass at a swell in realism, and look for the hook. We back up at the hint of something. We butt in. We try to describe the smell; we trim the fat to pinpoint what seems to be the matter here.”

From The New Yorker

Related Words

• attack
• seek
• struggle
• work