rite of passage

noun

plural rites of passage

: a ritual, event, or experience that marks or constitutes a major milestone or change in a person's life

Rites of passage celebrate the social movement of individuals into and out of groups or into or out of statuses of critical importance to the individual and to the community. Reproduction, the achievement of manhood and womanhood, marriage, and death are the principal worldwide occasions for rites of passage.

—Marvin Harris

For them the two years of missionary work, with the rigorous bootcamp-style training preceding it, is a rite of passage between graduation and marriage, adolescence and adult life.

—Malise Ruthven

Today, when each year American society becomes more complex, a veritable tapestry of nationalities, the strongest of our common threads may well be the rites of passage all immigrants face.

—Harold Holzer

The author, grandson of the poet Allen Tate, dropped out of Sewanee University after going through the by-now familiar 1960's rite of passage of drugs, sex, and antiwar demonstrations …

—Caroline Seebohm

compare initiation rite

Examples of rite of passage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That may be true, but homicide is not a rite of passage for young adults. —Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 25 Nov. 2025

For years, Rockwood was considered a rite of passage venue — where budding artists could move up the ranks of their four stages and build a New York fan base. —Olivia Reid, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2025

Her milestones since have included standard teenage rites of passage—like getting her driver’s license—alongside bureaucratic benchmarks no child should have to contemplate, like her new knee being approved by insurers. —Boyce Upholt, Southern Living, 19 Nov. 2025

Going to a two-year, in-person MBA program has long been a rite of passage for young professionals in finance, tech, and consulting. —Sydney Lake, Fortune, 18 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above