passing

1 of 3

noun

pass·​ing ˈpa-siŋ 

: the act of one that passes or causes to pass

especially : death sense 1a

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

Phrases

in passing

: by the way : incidentally

Synonyms

Noun

• death
• demise
• fate

Adjective

• flash
• brief
• temporary
• transient

Adverb

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

Seguí, whose passing was announced by the Mariners, appeared in the first game in Seattle Pilots franchise history in 1969 and also spent time with the Mariners, Cardinals, Red Sox, Washington Senators and Oakland A’s. —Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 26 June 2025

Since his passing, Elijah Craig’s legacy has expanded far beyond the small scope of his original operation. —Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025

Adjective

Yet, over the passing weeks, no one surfaced looking for the small pup. —Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 10 May 2025

According to Ben Taylor’s Passer Rating metric, this past season was the best passing year of Robinson’s career – grading as a respectable 5.3 out of 10 (53rd percentile). —Mat Issa, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing 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