passing
noun
\
Definition of passing
(Entry 1 of 3)
: the act of one that passes or causes to pass especially : death sense 1a
: by the way : incidentally
passing
adjectiveDefinition of passing (Entry 2 of 3)
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
5a : 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
adverbDefinition of passing (Entry 3 of 3)
: to a surpassing degree : exceedingly passing strange
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Synonyms & Antonyms for passing
Synonyms: Noun
curtains, death, decease, demise, dissolution, doom, end, exit, expiration, fate, grave, great divide, passage, quietus, sleep
Synonyms: Adjective
brief, ephemeral, evanescent, flash, fleeting, fugitive, impermanent, momentary, short-lived, temporary, transient, transitory
Synonyms: Adverb
achingly, almighty, archly, awful, awfully, badly, beastly, blisteringly, bone, colossally, dang, deadly, desperately, eminently, enormously, especially, ever, exceedingly (also exceeding), extra, extremely, fabulously, fantastically, far, fiercely, filthy, frightfully, full, greatly, heavily, highly, hugely, immensely, incredibly, intensely, jolly, majorly, mightily, mighty, mortally, most, much, particularly, real, really, right, roaring, seriously, severely, so, sore, sorely, spanking, specially, such, super, supremely, surpassingly, terribly, that, thumping, too, uncommonly, vastly, very, vitally, way, whacking, wicked, wildly
Antonyms: Noun
Antonyms: Adjective
ceaseless, dateless, deathless, endless, enduring, eternal, everlasting, immortal, lasting, long-lived, permanent, perpetual, timeless, undying, unending
Antonyms: Adverb
little, negligibly, nominally, slightly, somewhat
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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 childhoodAdverb
a passing strange turn of events
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The monumental rings of Stonehenge and similar sites were long thought unique to the British Isles, where Bronze Age priests and worshippers marked astronomical events, celebrated the passing of seasons, and buried their elites. — Michael Price, Science | AAAS, "Rituals performed at this German ‘Stonehenge’ may link mysterious monument to its U.K. counterpart," 28 June 2018 For all the benefits of oil, however, some lamented the passing of the hardy desert life. — The Economist, "From pearls to black goldHow oil transformed the Gulf," 21 June 2018 Bush has been hospitalized twice following the passing of his wife, Barbara, in April. — Sarah Hallam, CNN, "George H.W. Bush just became the first former US president to turn 94," 12 June 2018 Everyone appears dry-eyed if not indifferent about the passing, the first sign something is off. — Jason Zinoman, New York Times, "Home Is Where the Horror Is," 7 June 2018 His inspiration came from witnessing the passing of friends during the early days of the AIDS epidemic. — Houston Chronicle, "Diamond Sponsor: Harris Health System gets 'INSPIREd'," 30 Apr. 2018 And the agency itself said little about the passing of the contract. — BostonGlobe.com, "The week in business," 21 Apr. 2018 Here's what her colleagues had to say about her passing: Barbara Bush was a remarkable woman. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "Politicians From Both Sides Mourn the Passing of Barbara Bush," 18 Apr. 2018 Her personal assistant told the BBC about her passing. — Matthew Diebel, USA TODAY, "Reports: Winnie Mandela, controversial wife of Nelson Mandela, dies at 81," 2 Apr. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Photo: christian hartmann/Reuters For more than 90 minutes, England dominated possession, controlling the match from the start with their quick passing approach. — Jonathan Clegg, WSJ, "The World Cup’s Biggest Upset: England Wins on Penalties," 3 July 2018 But would Wilkinson get a passing grade in charm school? — Hilary Weaver, Vanities, "“She’s Stuck in a Really Tough Position”: Etiquette Experts on the Red Hen Controversy," 26 June 2018 His life was likely saved by strangers in a passing car who called 911. — Adrian Walker, BostonGlobe.com, "Shaun Harrison, fraud and would-be assassin, was a master manipulator of trust," 4 June 2018 Kelly King, assistant superintendent, added that the independent nonprofit EdReports.org gave CPM a passing grade in focus and coherence, rigor and math practice and usability. — Andrew J. Campa, latimes.com, "Math stalemate has district, teachers torn," 22 May 2018 Those ranks are slowly dwindling away with every passing year, adding a sense of urgency to this project. — Craig Hlavaty, Houston Chronicle, "NASA removes a piece of historic Mission Control as restoration efforts ramp up," 25 Jan. 2018 The Numbers Belgium was the short-passing team in this game, controlling possession at 58-42 percent and outpassing France, 318-201. — Rory Smith, New York Times, "France, With Flash to Spare, Reaches the World Cup Final," 11 July 2018 As word of his passing spread Monday, tributes poured in from a cross-section of baseball, from his old colleagues to All-Stars such as Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner. — USA TODAY, "Ken Ravizza, a titan in the mental side of baseball and mentor to Joe Maddon, dies at 70," 9 July 2018 Kentucky won the last two games against South Carolina without a passing touchdown. — Jon Hale, The Courier-Journal, "How Kentucky football can win (or lose) against South Carolina," 6 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'passing.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for passing
passing
noun
English Language Learners Definition of passing
(Entry 1 of 2)
: the act of moving toward and beyond something
: a person's death
: the act of officially approving a bill, law, etc.
passing
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of passing (Entry 2 of 2)
: moving past someone or something
—used to talk about time that is going past
: lasting for only a short time
See the full definition for passing in the English Language Learners Dictionary
passing
adjective
\
Kids Definition of passing
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : going by or past passing cars
2 : lasting only for a short time a passing fad
3 : showing haste or lack of attention a passing glance
4 : used for going past passing lanes
5 : showing satisfactory work in a test or course of study a passing mark
passing
nounKids Definition of passing (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : the act of going by or going away We await the passing of winter.
2 : death sense 1
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