hard pass
hard pass noun: an enduring (nontemporary) clearance to enter the West Wing of the White House, signified by a laminated card.
Noun
hard pass (plural hard passes)
- An enduring (nontemporary) clearance to enter the West Wing of the White House, signified by a laminated card.
- Did you, in fact, issue a hard pass to Mr. Shapiro? The Witness. I don't recall, but it would be easy to find out.1996, Deposition Transcripts from the Committee Investigation Into the White House Office Travel Matter, →ISBN
- The reason I always wore my hard pass was because I was in charge partly of White House security.1997, United States Congress Senate Special Committee to Investigate Whitewater Development Corporation and Related Matters, Investigation of Whitewater Development Corporation and related matters...
- An unequivocal rejection with no possibility of a later change of mind.
- A hard pass is usually pretty clear: It says that there is no way the VC will invest in your company.2003, The Indus Entrepreneurs, Essentials of Entrepreneurship, →ISBN
- Thanks, but I'm going to take a hard pass on your blood money.2016, Maisey Yates, Last Chance Rebel, →ISBN
- A pass to another player that is delivered with a particularly high level of force.
- A soft feather pass is easier to receive and control over a hard pass.1995, John Shorey, Hockey Made Easy : Instructional Manual, →ISBN, page 42
- The player with the ball, X,, has his team-mate in sight and can deliver a hard pass to that player's feet.1999, H.C. Dubey, Dph Sports Series-Football, →ISBN, page 164
- A difficult time in one's life, especially one characterized by financial difficulties.
- I need her prayers, for I am at a hard pass — Strange reports are abroad concerning my way of life.1821, Sir Walter Scott, Kenilworth
- "It's a' true!" exclaimed Bauldie Queech, in voice of great distress, "it's an ower true tale, as I ken fu' weel, and fu' sadly, though I didna think to hae tauld what I ken o't to ony ane but the minister: but Rory, ye're a fearless and lang-headed chiel at a hard pass, and as ever ye did gude to...1873, Charles Gibbon, The casquet of literature, a selection in poetry and prose
Examples of hard pass in a sentence
- Now there are approximately 800 hard pass holders.2007, Martha Joynt Kumar, Managing the President's Message, →ISBN:
- She still didn't have a hard pass, the official “all access ticket” to the West Wing.2012, Nicolle Wallace, It's Classified: A Novel, →ISBN, page 32:
- You don't throw a hard pass if you can throw it softly.2006, Dick DeVenzio, Stuff Good Players Should Know: Intelligent Basketball from A to Z, →ISBN:
- Throwing to an experienced player, a passer should throw a hard pass knowing he could catch it with no problem.2012, Jim Hinkson, Lacrosse Fundamentals, →ISBN, page 31:
Forms of hard pass
| plural | hard passes |
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Questions about hard pass
- What does hard pass mean?
- Hard pass means an enduring (nontemporary) clearance to enter the West Wing of the White House, signified by a laminated card.
- How do you use hard pass in a sentence?
- Now there are approximately 800 hard pass holders.
- What part of speech is hard pass?
- Hard pass is a noun.
- What is the plural of hard pass?
- The plural of hard pass is hard passes.
Words near hard pass in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: hard pass (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “hard pass.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/hard_pass. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.