Phrase guide

pass away

verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

verb

Meaning 1

To die.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: euphemistic, idiomatic

Examples

  • After a long battle with cancer, the professor passed away yesterday.
  • Her great grandmother passed away yesterday.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To disappear; to cease to be; to be no more.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, literary

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To spend; to waste.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

go out of existence

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • She hoped that the problem would eventually pass away

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: end, stop, finish, terminate, cease

5

verb

Meaning 5

pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • She died from cancer
  • The children perished in the fire
  • The patient went peacefully
  • The old guy kicked the bucket at the age of 102

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: die, decease, perish, go, exit, expire, pass, kick the bucket, cash in one's chips, buy the farm, conk, give-up the ghost, drop dead, pop off, choke, croak, snuff it

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: change state, turn

Narrower terms: abort, suffocate, stifle, asphyxiate, buy it, pip out, drown, predecease, starve, famish, fall, succumb, yield

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

88 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: rəhmətə getmək — to die (euphemistic)
  • Azerbaijani: dünyasını dəyişmək — to die (euphemistic)
  • Azerbaijani: vəfat etmək — to die (euphemistic)
  • Bulgarian: отивам си (otivam si) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Bulgarian: отида си (otida si) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Catalan: traspassar — to die (euphemistic)
  • Chinese Cantonese: 過身 /过身 (gwo3 san1) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Chinese Mandarin: 去世 (qùshì) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Chinese Mandarin: 逝世 (shìshì) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Chinese Mandarin: 過世 /过世 (guòshì) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Danish: gå bort — to die (euphemistic)
  • Danish: sove ind — to die (euphemistic)
  • Dutch: overlijden — to die (euphemistic)
  • Dutch: ontslapen — to die (euphemistic)
  • Dutch: heengaan — to die (euphemistic)
  • Finnish: nukkua pois — to die (euphemistic)
  • French: décéder — to die (euphemistic)
  • French: s'éteindre — to die (euphemistic)
  • German: entschlafen — to die (euphemistic)
  • German: versterben — to die (euphemistic)
  • Greek: ξεψυχώ (xepsychó) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Greek: αφήνω την τελευταία μου πνοή (afíno tin teleftaía mou pnoḯ) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Hebrew: נִפְטַר (niftár) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Hebrew: הָלַךְ לְעוֹלָמוֹ (halákh l'olamó) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Hungarian: elhuny — to die (euphemistic)
  • Hungarian: örökre lehunyja a szemét — to die (euphemistic)
  • Ido: pasar — to die (euphemistic)
  • Indonesian: meninggal dunia — to die (euphemistic)
  • Indonesian: wafat — to die (euphemistic)
  • Ingrian: saavva hukkaa — to die (euphemistic)
  • Irish: imigh sall — to die (euphemistic)
  • Italian: scomparire — to die (euphemistic)
  • Italian: mancare — to die (euphemistic)
  • Italian: venire a mancare — to die (euphemistic)
  • Japanese: 逝く (iku, yuku) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Japanese: 亡くなる (nakunaru) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Japanese: 逝去する (seikyo suru) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Korean: 돌아가시다 (doragasida) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Latin: aborior — to die (euphemistic)
  • Latin: pereō — to die (euphemistic)
  • Malagasy: maty — to die (euphemistic)
  • Malay: meninggal dunia — to die (euphemistic)
  • Malayalam: ഇഹലോകം വെടിയുക (ihalōkaṁ veṭiyuka) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Malayalam: നിര്യാതനാകുക (niryātanākuka) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Mongolian: өнгөрөх (öngöröx) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Mongolian: үхэх (üxex) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Norman: pâsser l'pas — to die (euphemistic)
  • Norwegian: gå bort — to die (euphemistic)
  • Persian: فوت کردن (fowt kardan) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Polish: odchodzić — to die (euphemistic)
  • Polish: odejść — to die (euphemistic)
  • Portuguese: falecer — to die (euphemistic)
  • Portuguese: ir-se — to die (euphemistic)
  • Romanian: da duhul — to die (euphemistic)
  • Romanian: sfârși — to die (euphemistic)
  • Romanian: muri — to die (euphemistic)
  • Romanian: deceda — to die (euphemistic)
  • Romanian: răposa — to die (euphemistic)
  • Romanian: înceta din viață — to die (euphemistic)
  • Russian: сконча́ться (skončátʹsja) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Russian: умере́ть (umerétʹ) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Scottish Gaelic: caochail — to die (euphemistic)
  • Scottish Gaelic: siubhail — to die (euphemistic)
  • Serbo-Croatian: преминути — to die (euphemistic)
  • Serbo-Croatian: preminuti — to die (euphemistic)
  • Spanish: fallecer — to die (euphemistic)
  • Spanish: dejarnos — to die (euphemistic)
  • Spanish: finar — to die (euphemistic)
  • Spanish: finarse — to die (euphemistic)
  • Spanish: pasar a mejor vida — to die (euphemistic)
  • Swahili: fariki dunia — to die (euphemistic)
  • Swahili: aga dunia — to die (euphemistic)
  • Swedish: gå bort — to die (euphemistic)
  • Tày: bấu mì — to die (euphemistic)
  • Thai: เสียชีวิต (sǐia-chii-wít) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Turkish: göçmek — to die (euphemistic)
  • Turkish: Hakk'ın rahmetine kavuşmak — to die (euphemistic)
  • Turkish: vefat etmek — to die (euphemistic)
  • Turkish: ruhunu teslim etmek — to die (euphemistic)
  • Turkish: ebediyete intikal etmek — to die (euphemistic)
  • Turkish: vaktini doldurmak — to die (euphemistic)
  • Ukrainian: відійти́ у ві́чність (vidijtý u víčnistʹ) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Urdu: چل بسنا (chal basnā) — to die (euphemistic)
  • Vietnamese: qua đời — to die (euphemistic)
  • Vietnamese: từ trần — to die (euphemistic)
  • Vietnamese: viên tịch — to die (euphemistic)
  • Welsh: huno — to die (euphemistic)
  • Wolaytta: hayquwa — to die (euphemistic)