passenger

noun

pas·​sen·​ger ˈpa-sᵊn-jər How to pronounce passenger (audio)
often attributive
1
2
: a traveler in a public or private conveyance

Examples of passenger in a Sentence

There were two passengers in the car in addition to the driver. There's no room for passengers on this project; everybody must do his share of the work.
Recent Examples on the Web The industry reported net losses of over $126 billion in 2020; the number of air passengers reduced by 60%, and direct aviation jobs dropped by 43%, according to a study that analyzed the impacts of the pandemic on air transportation. Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024 But the accounts from passengers are hardly flattering at a moment when Boeing is already under federal investigation for the Jan. 5 door-plug blowout. Allison Morrow, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024 On a subway platform in the Bronx recently, a girl in a puffer coat strolled past passengers with a basket of M&M’s, Kit Kats and Trident gum slung across her shoulder. Andy Newman, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Both can haul lots of passengers and swallow loads of cargo. Michael Cantu, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024 Airlines will rake in a record $964 billion from passengers in 2024, up 7.5 percent from last year, according to an estimate by the International Air Transport Association. Christopher Elliott, King Features Syndicate, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024 The overall satisfaction of the more than 4,200 LaGuardia passengers surveyed throughout 2023 was a 4.24 out of 5, marking a 20% increase over the last five years. Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Mar. 2024 That comes less than a month after Lufthansa’s ground staff also went on strike, throwing the travel plans of over 100,000 passengers into chaos. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 12 Mar. 2024 More passengers flowing through bigger terminals created more opportunities to sell them more duty free perfume and gadgets. Michael Barnard, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'passenger.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English passager, from Anglo-French, from passage path, way, passage, from passer

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of passenger was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near passenger

Cite this Entry

“Passenger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/passenger. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

passenger

noun
pas·​sen·​ger ˈpas-ᵊn-jər How to pronounce passenger (audio)
: a person riding in or on a vehicle
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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