Meaning trap
pass out
distribute items
To give papers or other items to each person in a group, especially in American English.
phrasal verb
How oftenCommon
LevelB1
Used inSpeech & writing
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
The instructor passed out the forms before the meeting started.
In high school our English teacher passed out a little vocab quiz every Monday morning, and honestly I dreaded it.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: The teacher shared the worksheets to the class.
Say: The teacher passed out the worksheets to the class.
'Share' means letting others use something with you; for giving one to each person, say 'pass out' (US) or 'hand out'.
Don't confuse it
Other ways to say it
Share things among a group of people
Which varietyBothAmerican
give outDistributing items to members of a group.hand outGiving papers or other items to people in a group.
pass outYou're here · American: distributing papers, materials, or other items.
Compare it
Where this one sits next to the phrases it gets mixed up with.