pass (something) down
idiom
: to give (something) to a younger person especially within the same family
She will pass her diamond ring down to her niece.
It's a family recipe passed down from my great-grandmother.
Examples of pass (something) down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The structure of the family trust, according to people familiar with it, doesn’t allow for ownership to pass down to heirs after death, meaning the split among the siblings would go from being shared six ways down to five and so on.
—
Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
As parents pass down their money to their Gen X, millennial, and Gen Z kids, new millionaires will continue to be minted at high rates for decades.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 25 June 2025
The trust says that the team would not pass down to the next generation and would end with Jerry’s six children.
—Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 19 June 2025
Where Craft Is Still a Way of Life Families of the Colca Valley pass down their looms like heirlooms.
—Natalie Stoclet, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Pass (something) down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pass%20%28something%29%20down. Accessed 29 Jun. 2025.
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