rite of passage

noun

plural rites of passage

: a ritual, event, or experience that marks or constitutes a major milestone or change in a person's life

Rites of passage celebrate the social movement of individuals into and out of groups or into or out of statuses of critical importance to the individual and to the community. Reproduction, the achievement of manhood and womanhood, marriage, and death are the principal worldwide occasions for rites of passage.

—Marvin Harris

For them the two years of missionary work, with the rigorous bootcamp-style training preceding it, is a rite of passage between graduation and marriage, adolescence and adult life.

—Malise Ruthven

Today, when each year American society becomes more complex, a veritable tapestry of nationalities, the strongest of our common threads may well be the rites of passage all immigrants face.

—Harold Holzer

The author, grandson of the poet Allen Tate, dropped out of Sewanee University after going through the by-now familiar 1960's rite of passage of drugs, sex, and antiwar demonstrations …

—Caroline Seebohm

compare initiation rite

Examples of rite of passage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The euphoric high of a first love is a rite of passage for adulthood, but for the son of the U.S. president, dating has its own unique challenges. —Linda Marx, People.com, 7 June 2025

Baby Gifts for Health & Feeding Waking up every few hours through the night is a rite of passage for new parents, but the right tools can make a big difference. —Anja Webb, Parents, 28 May 2025

For example, the Grand Tour of Europe was once a rite of passage for aristocrats. —Betsy Pudliner, The Conversation, 19 May 2025

For young people, achieving homeownership is often seen as a rite of passage, a step toward becoming an adult, reports my colleague Andrea Riquier. —Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 8 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above