passing

noun

pass·ing | \ˈpa-siŋ

Definition of passing

(Entry 1 of 3)

: the act of one that passes or causes to pass especially : death sense 1a

in passing

: by the way : incidentally

passing

adjective

Definition 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

adverb

Definition of passing (Entry 3 of 3)

: to a surpassing degree : exceedingly passing strange

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about passing

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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 childhood

Adverb

a passing strange turn of events

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Fan info: Admission to the passing tournament is free, but parking is $5. — Andrew Turner, latimes.com, "Edison’s Battle at the Beach to showcase wealth of talent," 7 July 2018 Not surprisingly, the day was dreary with a heavy overcast and was accompanied by brisk north winds and some passing sprinkles. — Tom Skilling, chicagotribune.com, "Ask Tom: Can you pinpoint year of cold Fourth of July?," 4 July 2018 His 4,334 passing yards were his fewest in 12 years with the New Orleans Saints, and his 536 passing attempts were his second fewest. — Josh Katzenstein, NOLA.com, "Drew Brees hoping Saints offense can be as balanced as last season," 24 May 2018 Following his passing, Frightened Rabbit encouraged fans to support SAMH, the Scottish Association for Mental Health, and support Meltdown's initiative as well. — Hilary Hughes, Billboard, "Frightened Rabbit's Meltdown Festival Set To Be Replaced With Mental Health Panel," 19 June 2018 The new movie sees the Parr family little changed by the passing of the years, though much improved by technological advances. — Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, "The Incredibles 2 Addresses the State of the Union," 19 June 2018 The 4-1 FC Cincinnati win on May 19 at Nippert Stadium was filled with fluid passing, clinical finishing and a showcase of the team's 2018 potential. — Charlie Hatch, Cincinnati.com, "First-place FC Cincinnati plays at North Carolina FC on Saturday night," 8 June 2018 In the middle of robbing the bank, one robber might make a passing, snide remark about the style choices of another. — Rebecca Farley, refinery29.com, "Now Is A Great Time To Revisit John Mulaney's "Ocean's Eleven With Women" Joke," 30 May 2018 Given the fact that three different women play Summer over the course of multiple decades, the only real visual cue for the passing of time—or even the fact that these women are all different incarnations of Donna—is found in the clothes. — Rachel Hahn, Vogue, "How the Donna Summer Musical’s Groovy Disco Costumes Came Together," 23 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Derrick Favors Unrestricted / Power Forward / 6-10 / Team: Utah Jazz 12.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg A throwback power forward with a respectable face-up game, decent passing chops and stout rebounding prowess who enjoyed a resurgent season. — azcentral, "Ranking top power forwards in NBA free agency: Aaron Gordon, Julius Randle, Derrick Favors lead list," 28 June 2018 At a street corner, a group of excited kids tried to shake a passing car, as if somehow obligated, but police quickly put an end to it. — Jason Gay, WSJ, "A Night on the Verge in London," 11 July 2018 In the Texas case, witnesses say 35-year-old Danny Ray Thomas had been walking in the street with his pants around his ankles, hitting passing cars with his hands and talking to himself when Brewer confronted him. — Washington Post, "Family of Houston man fatally shot by deputy files lawsuit," 12 Apr. 2018 In the summer of 1988, a black man and a white woman standing together in Redding’s Caldwell Park were shot at by someone in a passing car who shouted racial epithets. — Hailey Branson-potts, latimes.com, "With signs, Northern California county declares it has 'no room for racism.' Reality is more complicated," 1 Apr. 2018 The city offered organizers the parking lot of a garbage processing plant in an industrial district 30 miles north of the city, then erected a 10-foot wall of snow with bulldozers so that no passing cars could see the protesters. — Neil Macfarquhar And Ivan Nechepurenko, New York Times, "Russians Brave Icy Temperatures to Protest Putin and Election," 28 Jan. 2018 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

These 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.