| passive restraint |
an automatic system, as of inflatable air bags, to protect the driver and passengers in a motor vehicle during an accident. |
| passkey |
a key that will open a number of locks of similar make; master key. [3 definitions] |
| pass muster |
to be accepted or approved according to some standard. |
| pass out |
to faint or lose consciousness. |
| Passover |
a Jewish festival, beginning on the fourteenth day of Nisan and lasting seven or eight days, that celebrates the escape of the ancient Hebrews from Egypt. |
| passport |
a government-issued document that identifies and certifies the holder as a citizen of a nation and entitles him or her to travel in other nations and return to his or her own country. [3 definitions] |
| pass the buck |
(informal) to avoid responsibility by blaming someone else. |
| pass the torch |
to pass leadership, inspiration, or a guiding principle to one's successors. |
| pass-through |
a windowlike opening in a wall, used to pass food from the kitchen to the dining room. |
| pass up |
to pay no heed to (an opportunity or chance). |
| password |
a secret word, phrase, or selected set of letters and numbers used to identify oneself as one that is permitted to enter a place or have access to privileged information or data. |
| past |
gone by in time; not current. [16 definitions] |
| pasta |
a food made from flour, eggs, and water and often dried in various thin forms, such as macaroni or spaghetti. [2 definitions] |
| paste1 |
a mixture of flour or starch, water, and often other ingredients, used as an adhesive for light materials such as paper. [7 definitions] |
| paste2 |
(informal) to hit (a person) hard. [2 definitions] |
| pasteboard |
a stiff, thin material made of layers of paper pasted together, or of paper or wood pulp pressed together and solidified with paste; paperboard. |
| pastel |
a pale, soft color such as light pink, light blue, or light yellow. [5 definitions] |
| pastern |
the part of an equine animal's foot that lies between the fetlock and hoof. |
| paste-up |
a piece of cardboard or heavy paper on which type or artwork is pasted for making a printing plate. |
| pasteurize |
to heat (milk, cheese, beer, or the like) to a high temperature for a certain period in order to kill most of the harmful bacteria and retard fermentation. |
| pastiche |
a work of visual art, music, or literature that consists mostly of materials and techniques borrowed from other works, sometimes done as an exercise to learn the technique of others. |