passage

1
[ pas-ij ]
See synonyms for: passagepassages on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a portion or section of a written work; a paragraph, verse, etc.: a passage of Scripture.

  2. a phrase or other division of a musical work.

  1. Fine Arts. an area, section, or detail of a work, especially with respect to its qualities of execution: passages of sensitive brushwork.

  2. an act or instance of passing from one place, condition, etc., to another; transit.

  3. the permission, right, or freedom to pass: to refuse passage through a territory.

  4. the route or course by which a person or thing passes or travels.

  5. a hall or corridor; passageway.

  6. an opening or entrance into, through, or out of something: the nasal passages.

  7. a voyage by water from one point to another: a rough passage across the English Channel.

  8. the privilege of conveyance as a passenger: to book passage on an ocean liner.

  9. the price charged for accommodation on a ship; fare.

  10. a lapse or passing, as of time.

  11. a progress or course, as of events.

  12. the enactment into law of a legislative measure.

  13. an interchange of communications, confidences, etc., between persons.

  14. an exchange of blows; altercation or dispute:a passage at arms.

  15. the act of causing something to pass; transference; transmission.

  16. an evacuation of the bowels.

  17. an occurrence, incident, or event.

verb (used without object),pas·saged, pas·sag·ing.
  1. to make a passage; cross; pass; voyage.

Origin of passage

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French, equivalent to pass(er) “to cross, go through” + -age noun suffix; see origin at pass, -age

Words Nearby passage

Other definitions for passage (2 of 2)

passage2
[ pas-ij, puh-sahzh ]

noun
  1. a slow, cadenced trot executed with great elevation of the feet and characterized by a moment of suspension before the feet strike the ground.

verb (used without object),pas·saged, pas·sag·ing.
  1. (of a horse) to execute such a movement.

  2. (of a rider) to cause a horse to execute such a movement.

verb (used with object),pas·saged, pas·sag·ing.
  1. to cause (a horse) to passage.

Origin of passage

2
First recorded in 1750–60; from French verb passager, variant of passéger, from Italian passeggiare “to walk, stroll”; see pace1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use passage in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for passage (1 of 2)

passage1

/ (ˈpæsɪdʒ) /


noun
  1. a channel, opening, etc, through or by which a person or thing may pass

  2. music a section or division of a piece, movement, etc

  1. a way, as in a hall or lobby

  2. a section of a written work, speech, etc, esp one of moderate length

  3. a journey, esp by ship: the outward passage took a week

  4. the act or process of passing from one place, condition, etc, to another: passage of a gas through a liquid

  5. the permission, right, or freedom to pass: to be denied passage through a country

  6. the enactment of a law or resolution by a legislative or deliberative body

  7. an evacuation of the bowels

  8. rare an exchange or interchange, as of blows, words, etc (esp in the phrase passage of arms)

Origin of passage

1
C13: from Old French from passer to pass

British Dictionary definitions for passage (2 of 2)

passage2

/ (ˈpæsɪdʒ, ˈpæsɑːʒ) dressage /


noun
  1. a sideways walk in which diagonal pairs of feet are lifted alternately

  2. a cadenced lofty trot, the moment of suspension being clearly defined

verb
  1. to move or cause to move at a passage

Origin of passage

2
C18: from French passager, variant of passéger, from Italian passeggiare to take steps, ultimately from Latin passūs step, pace 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012