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

According to a death certificate obtained by TMZ, the legendary musician and producer passed away from pancreatic cancer.

From Salon

“After my husband passed away, I made some life changes and lost more than 100 pounds. My kids call me Leona 2.0.”

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Salon

“My grandma — my mom’s mom — just passed away very recently, and this was their house,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times

Her cousin Charles “Chazz” Smith also confirmed her death, writing on Facebook: “Our family is very saddened to share the news of my cousin Tyka Evene Nelson who passed away this morning.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• die
• expire
• perish
• succumb