pass the bar

verb

To be formally referred for trial from a lower court to a higher one.

“My cousin just passed the bar.”

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Meanings

verbpass the bar (third-person singular simple present passes the bar, present participle passing the bar, simple past and past participle passed the bar)

present singular third person passes the bar · participle present passing the bar · participle past passed the bar · past passed the bar

  1. lawTo be formally referred for trial from a lower court to a higher one.

    This matter has passed the bar.

  2. lawTo achieve a successful outcome on the bar examination: to pass the test (make the grade) to become a licensed lawyer.

    My cousin just passed the bar.

  3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see pass, the, bar.

    His truck can pass anything but a gas station, and he can barely pass the bar on his way to report to his probation officer.

Cite this entry
APA

pass the bar. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pass%20the%20bar

MLA

“pass the bar.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pass%20the%20bar. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pass the bar,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pass%20the%20bar.

Source: pass the bar on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.