'Pass Out' or 'Pass Away'? What Is the Difference? | Mastering Grammar

Part 16

Pass Out or Pass Away: What Is the Difference?

Do you know the difference between pass out and pass away? While these two phrasal verbs look similar, their meanings are completely different.

What Does Pass Out Mean?

Pass out typically refers to losing consciousness temporarily. This can happen for many reasons, such as exhaustion, illness, shock, or intoxication:

✅ At the sight of blood, she tends to pass out, so she avoids watching medical dramas.

✅ After going all day without eating, she felt dizzy and nearly passed out.

✅ It was so hot in the classroom that I almost passed out before the teacher turned on the air conditioning.

✅ During the marathon, a runner passed out from dehydration and had to be taken to the medical tent.

What Does Pass Away Mean?

Pass away is a phrasal verb used as a gentle and respectful alternative to die. It is a euphemism, often used to soften the news or to speak about death in a more sensitive manner:

✅ Her grandmother passed away peacefully in her sleep last night.

✅ We were all saddened to hear that the community leader had passed away after a long illness.

✅ After a courageous battle with cancer, he passed away surrounded by his loved ones.

✅ News spread quickly that the beloved author had passed away, leaving behind a lasting literary legacy.

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Also by Spencer Lam

Part 1: Should We Say 'A Tiger', 'The Tiger', or 'Tigers'?
Part 2: 'Relax' or 'Relax Oneself'?
Part 3: 'Exchange Program' or 'Exchanging Program'?
Part 4: 'Yours sincerely' or 'Yours faithfully'?
Part 5: Should We Say 'Take Bus', 'Take the Bus', or 'Take a Bus'?
Part 6: 'I Afraid' or 'I Am Afraid'?
Part 7: 'Date Someone' or 'Date with Someone'?
Part 8: A Missing Relative Pronoun
Part 9: Are 'Basketball', 'Football', and 'Badminton' Countable or Uncountable?
Part 10: 'Every Time' or 'Every Time When'?
Part 11: Should 'Mum' Be Capitalised? (Read this post for an in-depth discussion of the topic.)
Part 12: 'Grammar' or 'Grammer'?
Part 13: 'List Something' or 'List Out Something'? (Read this post for an in-depth discussion of the topic.)
Part 14: 'Papers 1 and 2' or 'Paper 1 and 2'? (Read this post for an in-depth discussion of the topic.)
Part 15: 'All Students Don't Know' or 'None of the Students Knows'? (Read this post for an in-depth discussion of the topic.)

Examples from the Media

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the diminutive sex therapist and TV personality, is launching a line of lower-alcohol wines, called Vin d'Amour, to help couples loosen up, but not pass out. —Toronto Star (2012)

A Qantas trainee captain who was commanding a flight from Canberra passed out briefly in the cockpit of a Boeing 737 aircraft minutes after landing at Sydney Airport. —The Sydney Morning Herald (2025)

So many stories of dying people holding on until a loved one reaches the bedside or leaves the room make some think we may have some control over when we pass away. —The Washington Post (2022)

Champion bodybuilder Hayley McNeff has passed away at the age of 37, becoming the seventh notable bodybuilder to pass away within the past six months. —Daily Mail (2025)