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I am looking if there is any single word or phrase.

The context is

It’s not the first time when he had duty at gate and someone had ignored him while going their way to the station.

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  • 2
    To clarify you mean, walking by and ignoring someone, in contravention of the norm that if you walk by someone you know, you typically greet, or at least acknowledge them (as with the proverbial nod of the head)? Try snub or shun or scorn or their various synonyms (from a thesaurus). The extreme example is to ostracize, or give silent treatment, or less severe, give the cold shoulder.
    – Dan Bron
    Commented Jun 12, 2016 at 17:12
  • The sentence is like that.. It’s not the first time when he had duty at gate and someone had ignored him while going their way to the station.
    – Kunal Bisht
    Commented Jun 12, 2016 at 17:13
  • The way you currently have your title phrased, it sounds like the ignoring is the mechanism by which the walking is acheived (which is nonsensical), as in travelling by walking. You either need a conjunction, or a comma. Otherwise it's nonsensical.
    – Dan Bron
    Commented Jun 12, 2016 at 17:15
  • I edited and upvoted your post and please try to be as specific as possible. The following is the strict rule of this community. Questions on choosing an ideal word or phrase must include information on how it will be used in order to be answered. For help writing a good word or phrase request, see: About single word requests.
    – user140086
    Commented Jun 12, 2016 at 18:13
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    There is a difference between consciously dodging contact with someone and unconsciously passing by them without actually recognizing/acknowledging them.
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Jun 13, 2016 at 17:59

6 Answers 6

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15

In British English we use the term blanked. — ODO

  1. British informal Deliberately ignore (someone):

"It’s not the first time when he had duty at gate and someone had blanked him while going their way to the station."

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  • +1 for reminding me of the Black Books episode regarding this awkward social situation
    – Jascol
    Commented Jun 13, 2016 at 10:03
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give someone the brush — Dictionary.com

verb phrase To snub; treat icily and curtly; kiss off

"I got the brush in about two seconds in that fancy dump (1930s+)"

not give someone the time of day — Cambridge Dictionary

to not be friendly to someone and not speak to or help that person

"He kept pestering me to go out with him, but I wouldn’t give him the time of day."

give someone the cold shoulder — Cambridge Dictionary

to intentionally ignore someone or treat someone in an unfriendly way

"I thought she really liked me, but the next day she gave me the cold shoulder."

Also try snub, shun and scorn as @Dan Bron suggested

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The most common word for this in American English is probably "snub":

verb (used with object), snubbed, snubbing.

  1. to treat with disdain or contempt, especially by ignoring.
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give someone the go-by (to bypass someone; to ignore someone.) "I got the go-by from her every time I saw her."

So, go-by is one word. If you want multiple words:

cut someone dead (to ignore someone totally.) "Joan was just about to speak to James when he walked away and cut her dead."

Some other options that haven't been mentioned:

brush-off (rejection; being cast aside and ignored.)

turn a blind eye (to ignore something and pretend you do not see it.)

not give somebody the time of day (to refuse to speak to someone because you do not like them or because you think you are better than them)

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    +1 for "cut dead", and another (purely notional, unfortunately) +1 for teaching me the BrE "give the go-by", which I didn't know until now.
    – Dan Bron
    Commented Jun 12, 2016 at 17:16
  • keep in mind that these aren't really widely-used phrases so you'd probably be better off with Mr. Bron's suggestions. Just because something is exactly what you're looking for doesn't make it the best option ;)
    – user180089
    Commented Jun 12, 2016 at 17:26
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    @DanBron What makes you assume "give the go-by" is BrE? (This Brit's never heard of it.) The link shows it as from "McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions".
    – TrevorD
    Commented Jun 12, 2016 at 18:15
  • @TrevorD My assumption arose from the fact that I'm surrounded by AmE speakers, and I've never heard anyone use it. :) Also it sounded somehow British to me, but I can't put my finger on what, exactly, tickled that intuition.
    – Dan Bron
    Commented Jun 12, 2016 at 18:17
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You're looking for one verb that encompasses two actions: pass by and disregard. Trying to think of any verb that does that, and I think the answer is "not really"... the fact that words tend to be general rather than specific is what makes the English language flexible and poetic. Throwing this out as an answer so that people can come up with examples of why that's wrong.

Verbs can imply more than one action through context, however. "Pass by" can imply disregard – "Construction workers paused in what they were doing to whistle and catcall; she passed them by" implies she disregarded them. "to whistle and catcall; she disregarded them" could mean she stood there on the corner and looked the other way, or never looked up as she passed by. The reader would know from the story's context.

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  • Thanks I'll look into it. Also I'll keep this in mind, two actions and two verb thing. How to give +1?
    – Kunal Bisht
    Commented Jun 12, 2016 at 19:57
  • Bump the "up arrow" above my current vote count of 2 (to the left of my answer) :)
    – James King
    Commented Jun 13, 2016 at 19:19
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In Scottish Slang (originally Glasgow Patter) you might use rubber: "I gave him the rubber". - Collins

Rubber Ear

To throw or sling someone a rubber ear means to deliberately fail to hear, to ignore pointedly, or to turn down someone who asks you out: ‘Ah tried oot the patter on this wee doll but she slung us a rubber ear’; also used as a verb: ‘Ah just rubber-eared um.’

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    Well, given that "rubber" is slang for "condom" in much of the rest of the English-speaking world, this has other meanings that probably aren't intended in this context.
    – HopelessN00b
    Commented Jun 13, 2016 at 16:42

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