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PASSER-BY
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
Irregular inflected form: passers-by
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A person who passes by casually or by chance
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("passer-by" is a kind of...):
footer; pedestrian; walker (a person who travels by foot)
Context examples:
Passers-by probably thought them a pair of harmless lunatics, for they entirely forgot to hail a bus, and strolled leisurely along, oblivious of deepening dusk and fog.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
A shock of orange hair, a pale face disfigured by a horrible scar, which, by its contraction, has turned up the outer edge of his upper lip, a bulldog chin, and a pair of very penetrating dark eyes, which present a singular contrast to the colour of his hair, all mark him out from amid the common crowd of mendicants and so, too, does his wit, for he is ever ready with a reply to any piece of chaff which may be thrown at him by the passers-by.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
They overhung the archway, thrust themselves between the bars of the great gate with a sweet welcome to passers-by, and lined the avenue, winding through lemon trees and feathery palms up to the villa on the hill.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
Welcome or not, I found it necessary to attach myself to someone before I should begin to address cordial remarks to the passers-by.
(The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald)
