passersby
passersby — noun
1. People who happen to walk past a particular place, especially when something is
People who happen to walk past a particular place, especially when something is happening there that they might notice or react to.
Two passersby stopped to help Nora when she dropped her shopping bags on the street.
collocation: passersby + stopped to help
A passerby noticed smoke coming from the apartment window and called the fire department.
passerby + notices + calls emergency services
The street musicians earned enough money from generous passersby to buy dinner that evening.
Leo asked a passerby whether the museum was open on Sundays during winter.
Several passersby took photos of the rainbow that appeared after the sudden rain shower.
- bystander
emphasises someone standing near an event rather than walking past it
- pedestrian
a general term for any person travelling on foot; does not carry the idea of chance or passing through
- onlooker
focuses on someone watching what is happening rather than simply walking by
用法筆記
This is the plural form of 'passerby'. The singular is 'a passerby' ('There was only one passerby on the street at that hour'). Never write 'passerbys' — the irregular plural pattern (plural marking on the first element, like 'mothers-in-law') is the only correct form.