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
Marvin HarrisFor 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
Malise RuthvenToday, 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
Harold HolzerThe 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
Caroline SeebohmExamples of rite of passage in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Seeing a performance at the State Opera House is a rite of passage.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2025
The presentation was in response to the more-than-rumors that The Rock — once a rite of passage in the sport of racing, a bastion of small-town Americana and NASCAR — was going to be removed from the NASCAR schedule.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 13 Apr. 2025
The challenge was conceived over 15 years ago by Associate Professor and Head of Sculpture David Eckard, who saw it as a rite of passage for young artists.
—Stephan Rabimov, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
For the past 30 years, every ninth-grader at Notre Dame High School in San Jose has gone through the same rite of passage: Creating a table place-setting to honor a notable woman from the past or present.
—Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2025
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Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2025
The presentation was in response to the more-than-rumors that The Rock — once a rite of passage in the sport of racing, a bastion of small-town Americana and NASCAR — was going to be removed from the NASCAR schedule.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 13 Apr. 2025
The challenge was conceived over 15 years ago by Associate Professor and Head of Sculpture David Eckard, who saw it as a rite of passage for young artists.
—Stephan Rabimov, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
For the past 30 years, every ninth-grader at Notre Dame High School in San Jose has gone through the same rite of passage: Creating a table place-setting to honor a notable woman from the past or present.
—Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rite of passage
Cite this Entry
“Rite of passage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rite%20of%20passage. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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