as in flash
lasting only for a short time
his parents were willing to buy him a piano if he demonstrated that his interest in music was more than a passing fancy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in death
the permanent stopping of all the vital bodily activities
the precise moment of his passing was recorded by the machines at his bedside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in very
to a great degree
a passing strange turn of events
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in handing
to shift possession of (something) from one person to another
could you please pass me the phone?
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in stopping
to come to an end
eventually, the storm passed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in leaving
to put (something) into the possession or safekeeping of another
pass your forms to the department head once they're filled out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in enacting
to put into effect through legislative or authoritative action
Congress cannot pass any law restricting free speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in happening
to take place
and the destruction of the town came to pass, just as the seer had predicted
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in experiencing
to come to a knowledge of (something) by living through it
a presidential candidate who doesn't yet know how it feels to pass the scrutiny of the national press
Synonyms & Similar Words
7
as in uttering
to express (a thought or emotion) in words
he'll occasionally pass some insightful comment, but in general he doesn't have much to contribute
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in refusing
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to
we appreciate the invitation to the party, but we'll have to pass I'll pass on the coffee
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
9
as in flying
to withstand scrutiny and gain acceptance or approval
the finished product isn't perfect, but it will pass
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of passing
Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Sep. 2025
The Panthers’ wide receiver group, outside of first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan, is struggling to make consistent plays in the passing game.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 29 Sep. 2025
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
Grapevine was led by Holmes, who totaled 132 passing yards (12 of 16 with no interceptions), while adding another 31 rushing yards.
—Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Sep. 2025
Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2025
Besides Gibson’s big day on the ground for Richland, Kates finished with 180 yards passing with one touchdown and one interception while also rushing for 57 yards and one more score.
—Jordan Neal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for passing
Adjective
Dart connected on 13 of his 20 pass attempts in the home win at MetLife Stadium, logging 111 yards and a passing touchdown.
—Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Sep. 2025
The Panthers’ wide receiver group, outside of first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan, is struggling to make consistent plays in the passing game.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
Of his 89 passing attempts, 65% have been either at or behind the line of scrimmage (19 attempts) or 1 to 9 air yards (39 attempts), per Pro Football Focus.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
Grapevine was led by Holmes, who totaled 132 passing yards (12 of 16 with no interceptions), while adding another 31 rushing yards.
—Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
Aside from the 93-yard passing touchdown to Henderson, Daniels threw plenty of dimes.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2025
Besides Gibson’s big day on the ground for Richland, Kates finished with 180 yards passing with one touchdown and one interception while also rushing for 57 yards and one more score.
—Jordan Neal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for passing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passing
Adjective
-
What To Know A map shared by the NWS on Facebook showed a broad corridor of flash-flood risk spanning the Western states and Southern Plains.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Aug. 2025
-
The emerging miners, exposed directly to the flash during its first split second, were covered in flash-absorbing black.—
Charles Pellegrino,
Rolling Stone,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
In 2023, there were seven positive cases and two deaths, and there were three positive cases and one death in 2022.—
Caroline Neal,
Louisville Courier Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The initial air date would have been less than a month after Ozzy’s death, which came two weeks after the rock icon performed his final show, the all-star Back to the Beginning blow-out, at his home soccer stadium, Villa Park, in his hometown of Birmingham, England.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
1 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
The lemonade stand and bake sale became very profitable and would turn into a giant play date in their front yard every June.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
-
With a very capable Ryzen 7 processor that can handle productivity tasks with ease, paired with a capacious 32GB of DDR5 RAM, this pocket-sized PC can slot in to just about any situation.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Neighboring Suffolk County was an even bigger win for the president, handing him a nearly 13-point margin.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Rafferty wastes no time getting to the heart of the matter, handing Arthur Ellen’s letter claiming to have proof about his affairs with men.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Teams have no choice but to continue to throw numbers at stopping the run.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
26 Sep. 2025
-
That's the same deadline that Grassley gave Noem to respond about stopping student visa authorizations.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The latest incident occurred on Wednesday morning when the 29-year-old suspect, identified by federal authorities as Joshua Jahn of Fairview, Texas, opened fire on a Dallas ICE facility, killing a detainee and leaving two others critically wounded, officials said.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Benjamin Guinness has died, leaving chaos and his towering brewery behind.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Republic could not get a straightforward answer to the question of how much money was being put toward enacting the plan's recommendations, despite multiple interviews and emailed requests to state employees charged with implementing them.—
Joan Meiners,
AZCentral.com,
1 Oct. 2025
-
The league this season is enacting several parts of the new collective bargaining agreement even those the full CBA doesn’t go into effect until the 2026-27 season.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This time in our world, what's happening in current events.—
H. Alan Scott,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Yet a lot was happening behind the scenes and not all of it was settling.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Passing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passing. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share