Pass on means to give something to the next person: a message, news, thanks, or even an illness or a cost. The second common meaning is to politely decline: I'll pass on dessert means “I think I'll skip dessert”. Without on, I'll pass the dessert literally means you'll hand the dessert to the person next to you.
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pass on + message/news/thanks (to somebody); pass it on; pass on + offer/invitation = decline; I'll pass
- Could you pass on my thanks to the team for their help with the move?
- Please read the notice and pass it on to your classmates.
- Thanks for the invitation, but I'll pass on the party this time; I'm exhausted.
What changed
First versionNo, thanks, I'll pass the dessert. I'm full.
RevisionNo, thanks, I'll pass on the dessert. I'm full.
The speaker is turning down dessert because they're full, but without on the sentence says “I'll hand the dessert along”. To decline, you need pass on something, or the short I'll pass with nothing after it.
Pass on is also a gentle way to talk about death, like pass away: My grandfather passed on last spring. Don't confuse it with pass out, to faint: He passed out in the heat.
Your turn
I'm trying to save money this month, so I'll ___ the concert tickets.
Show the answer
pass on — The speaker is saving money and turning down the tickets, so it's pass on. Pass out means to faint or to hand things out to people, and it has nothing to do with saving money.
Write a polite refusal of an invitation. Say what you're turning down and why.
Thanks for asking, but I'll pass on the cinema tonight because I have an early flight.
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