Meaning & use
passed your bedtime
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformalhumorous
used to tell someone, often jokingly, that it is later than the time they normally go to bed.
Grammar: Usually a complete remark on its own; 'passed' is the past tense of 'pass' meaning 'go past a point in time'.
Patterns
- it has passed your bedtime
- you have passed your bedtime
It's nearly midnight — hasn't it passed your bedtime?
You're still awake? It's way passed your bedtime.
He yawned, and his mother said, 'That's passed your bedtime.'
Common combinations
- way past your bedtime
- It's way past your bedtime, so go upstairs.
- past my bedtime
- I'd love to stay, but it's past my bedtime.
- time for bed
- Come on, it's time for bed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- past your bedtime
- The standard spelling; 'passed' is a common mistake for the preposition 'past'.
- time for bed
- A direct instruction to go to bed, without mentioning a specific time.
Word family
- bedtime noun
- the usual time when someone goes to bed.
- pass verb
- to go past a point in time or space.
Commonly confused: passed your bedtime or past?
passed your bedtime vs past
The correct form in this phrase is usually 'past' (a preposition), not 'passed' (the verb). Use 'passed' only when you mean the action of going past: 'The deadline passed.'
Practice
Choose the most standard version of the remark.
Choose one answer.
'Past' is the correct word here because it shows a time that has gone by. 'Passed' is a verb form and does not fit after 'It's' in this fixed remark.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “passed your bedtime”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.