Passover

1 of 2

noun

Pass·​over ˈpas-ˌō-vər 

: a Jewish holiday beginning on the 14th of Nisan and commemorating the Hebrews' liberation from slavery in Egypt

pass over

2 of 2

verb

passed over; passing over; passes over

transitive verb

1

: to ignore in passing

2

: to pay no attention to the claims of : disregard

Synonyms

Verb

• bypass
• disregard
• forget
• ignore
• neglect
• overlook
• overpass
• slight
• slur (over)

Examples of Passover in a Sentence

Verb

you seem to have passed over an important e-mail notice

I'd be willing to pass over this latest episode of tardiness if there hadn't been so many before.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Just six weeks ago, the home of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was firebombed as his family slept after celebrating the first Passover seder. —Jonathan Greenblatt, Time, 23 May 2025

Fifty days after leaving Egypt on Passover, the Jewish people received the Torah from G-d at Mount Sinai on the holiday of Shavuot. —Rabbi Moishe Kievman, Sun Sentinel, 20 May 2025

Verb

The grates were designed to stay in place when passed over by snowplows. —Noël Fletcher, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025

Handled in less than an hour by the prosecution and passed over to defense lawyer Westmoreland, the testimony from Richard comes after an opening week that saw often grueling and frequently harrowing testimony from a very, very pregnant Ventura. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 19 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

from the exemption of the Israelites from the slaughter of the firstborn in Egypt (Exodus 12:23–27)

First Known Use

Noun

1530, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Passover

• carryover
• changeover
• crossover
• cutover
• flashover
• hangover
• holdover
• layover
• leftover
• makeover
• moreover
• pullover

Kids Definition

Passover

1 of 2 noun

Pass·​over ˈpas-ˌō-vər 

: a Jewish holiday celebrated in March or April in honor of the freeing of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt

pass over

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)pas-ˈō-vər

1

: to ignore in passing

2

: to pay no attention to

Etymology

Noun

so called because in Exodus 12:23–27 the Lord passes over the homes of the Israelites in killing the firstborn in Egypt