passer

Etymology

pass + -er

noun

  1. One who succeeds in passing a test, etc.
    The distributions of scores on the exam for passers and failers are plotted […] 2008, David L. Streiner, Geoffrey R. Norman, Health Measurement Scales
  2. One who passes something along; a distributor.
    a passer of counterfeit banknotes
  3. (sports) Someone who passes, someone who makes a pass.
    1. (American football) A football player who makes a forward pass, who may be (but not limited to) the quarterback.
  4. (chess) A passed pawn.
  5. (archaic) One who passes; a passer-by.
    There was a promise of it in the gorgeous purity of the western sky; there was an intimation in the mild, unimpertinent gaze of the passers of a certain natural facility in things. 1878, Henry James, The Europeans
    Passers stopped and began to stare. A policeman was approaching up the street. Dave dodged back into the cab and banged the door. 1904, National Magazine, volume 20, page 147
  6. (sociology) One who is able to "pass", or be accepted as a member of a race, sex or other group to which society would not otherwise regard them as belonging.
    Explores the history, literature, and sociology of passing, and provides case studies of six individuals who are "passers," including a black man who passed as a white Jew and a lesbian naval officer who passed as straight. 2003, Brooke Kroeger, Passing: When People Can't Be Who They Are
    Passers and would-be passers make every effort to be convincing in their chosen gender role […] 2014, Risa Bear, Homecomings, page 69

Attribution / Disclaimer All definitions come directly from Wiktionary using the Wiktextract library. We do not edit or curate the definitions for any words, if you feel the definition listed is incorrect or offensive please suggest modifications directly to the source (wiktionary/passer), any changes made to the source will update on this page periodically.