passing

[pas-ing]

adjective

1. going by or past; elapsing.

   He was feeling better with each passing day.

2. brief, fleeting, or fortuitous; transitory.

   to take a passing fancy to something.

3. done, given, etc., in passing; cursory.

   a passing mention.

4. surpassing, preeminent, or extreme.

5. indicating satisfactory performance in a course, on a paper, in a test, etc..

   a passing grade on a test.

6. living or being known as a member of a racial, religious, or ethnic group other than one's own, especially living and being known as a white person although of Black ancestry.

   Employees with a passing racial identity expressed frequent discomfort in the workplace.

7. Sometimes Offensive.,  being known or perceived as a gender other than the one assigned at birth.

   Passing women who dress and live as men have existed throughout history.

   The environment might be safer for a passing trans man than for someone who is obviously transgender.

adverb

1. surpassingly; exceedingly; very.

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that passes or causes something to pass.

2. a means or place of passage.

passing

/ ˈpɑːsɪŋ /

adjective

1. transitory or momentary

   a passing fancy

2. cursory or casual in action or manner

   a passing reference

adverb

1. archaic,  to an extreme degree

   the events were passing strange

noun

1. a place where or means by which one may pass, cross, ford, etc

2. a euphemism for death

3. by the way; incidentally

   he mentioned your visit in passing

Other Word Forms

• passingly adverb
• passingness noun
• unpassing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of passing¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; pass + -ing ¹ for the noun senses; pass + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in passing, by the way; incidentally.

   The speaker mentioned his latest book in passing.

Example Sentences

These toxic chemicals are present in today’s modern synthetic jet engine oils and are passing into the aircraft cabin/cockpit unfiltered, affecting the air that crew and passengers breathe in.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Dart didn’t post gaudy numbers with just 111 passing yards, and he showed plenty of room for growth by taking five sacks.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

And while Hurts finished the game with 280 passing yards, his highest total of the season, the offensive imbalance has tilted steeply in the opposite direction of past weeks.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

“I haven’t been in, man,” he says to a passing surfer.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

His abductors shield him from a passing terrorist who kicks him in the ribs.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cursory 
• fleeting 
• superficial