passing

1 of 3

noun

pass·​ing ˈpa-siŋ 

: the act of one that passes or causes to pass

especially : death sense 1a

see also:

in passing

passing

2 of 3

adjective

1

: going by or past

a passing pedestrian

2

: having a brief duration

a passing whim

3

obsolete : surpassing

4

: superficial

a passing acquaintance

a passing resemblance

5

a

: of, relating to, or used in or for the act or process of passing

passing lanes

b

: given on satisfactory completion of an examination or course of study

a passing grade

passing

3 of 3

adverb

: to a surpassing degree : exceedingly

passing strange

Synonyms of passing

Noun

• death
• demise
• fate

Adjective

• flash
• brief
• temporary
• transient

Adverb

• very
• extremely
• incredibly
• terribly
• damn
• too
• damned
• so
• highly
• badly
• far
• desperately
• that
• really
• especially
• severely
• full
• seriously
• greatly
• such
• most
• real
• much
• jolly
• super
• wildly
• particularly
• heavily
• extra

Examples of passing in a Sentence

Noun

After her husband's passing, she moved to a smaller house.

We all mourned his passing.

Adjective

Someone called out from a passing car.

She sells flowers to passing motorists.

Let's hope that these shoes are just a passing fad.

a passing phase in childhood

Adverb

a passing strange turn of events

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Meanwhile, some extra passing clouds allow heat to build up in the San Joaquin Valley during the overnight hours. — Sean MacAday 6, Sacbee.com, 6 July 2026

Alan Greenspan’s passing is useful not as the subject of my column, but as a marker of an era when many professionals believed large institutions could absorb volatility on their behalf. — Henrik Totterman, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026

Adjective

Taylor, now in his 16th season out of Virginia Tech, is the only quarterback in NFL history with 10,000-plus passing yards, 2,000-plus rushing yards, 70-plus passing TDs, 20-plus rushing TDs and fewer than 35 interceptions. — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026

The two groups aren’t just growing at different speeds—they’re moving apart with every passing year, and the absolute distance between them grows faster as both numbers get larger. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 30 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing passing

• buck-passing
• in passing
• mention only in passing
• more than a passing acquaintance with
• passing fancy
• passing game
• passing lane
• passing note
• passing shot
• with each passing hour
• with each passing month

Rhymes for passing

• classing
• gassing
• massing
• amassing
• bypassing
• harassing
• outgassing
• repassing
• surpassing
• trespassing

Kids Definition

passing

1 of 2 noun

pass·​ing ˈpas-iŋ 

1

: the act of one that passes or causes to pass

2

: death sense 1

passing

2 of 2 adjective

1

: going by or past

the passing crowd

2

: lasting only for a short time

especially : showing haste or lack of attention : hasty, superficial

a passing glance

3

: used for the act or process of passing

the passing lane

4

: given on satisfactory completion of an examination or course of study

a passing grade