passage

[ pas-ij ]

/ ˈpæs ɪdʒ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: passage / passages on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

a phrase or other division of a musical work.

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

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

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

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

a hall or corridor; passageway.

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

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

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

the price charged for accommodation on a ship; fare.

a lapse or passing, as of time.

a progress or course, as of events.

the enactment into law of a legislative measure.

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

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

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

an evacuation of the bowels.

an occurrence, incident, or event.

verb (used without object), pas·saged, pas·sag·ing.

to make a passage; cross; pass; voyage.

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of passage

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

passable, passably, passacaglia, passade, passado, passage, passage grave, passage hawk, passageway, passagework, Passaic

Other definitions for passage (2 of 2)

passage²

[ pas-ij, puh-sahzh ]

/ ˈpæs ɪdʒ, pəˈsɑʒ /

Manège.

noun

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.

(of a horse) to execute such a movement.

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

verb (used with object), pas·saged, pas·sag·ing.

to cause (a horse) to passage.

Origin of passage

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. 2022

How to use passage in a sentence

She recalled that when she became pregnant with her first child, in 1955, she refused to accept “folklore” about pain as a rite of passage.
Marie Mongan, champion of hypnobirthing, dies at 86|Olesia Plokhii|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
When Google first announced passage ranking, the company called it passage indexing.
Google passage ranking now live in US English search results|Barry Schwartz|February 11, 2021|Search Engine Land
Some scenes are connected by a rippling piano riff that suggests the passage of time, though we’re never quite sure if days, weeks or months have gone by.
Rebecca Hall's Passing Is a Complex, Moving Story About Racial Identity—and a Sundance Standout|Stephanie Zacharek|February 3, 2021|Time
Time marches on for all of us, and even if we refuse to acknowledge what we see in our own mirrors, we rarely hesitate to mark its passage in the faces of our actors.
The Dig Is Just the Movie to Relieve Midwinter Cabin Fever|Stephanie Zacharek|January 29, 2021|Time

When an odor—say, vanillin, the dominant chemical in vanilla—drifts into the nasal passage, it grasps onto its preferred receptor.
Scientists Made a Biohybrid Nose Using Cells From Mosquitoes|Shelly Fan|January 26, 2021|Singularity Hub
She fails to appreciate the congressional and constitutional obstacles Johnson had to overcome to win passage of the bill.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
One of the rites of passage for every young political reporter is to listen to the elders tell stories about campaigns past.
The World’s Toughest Political Quiz|Jeff Greenfield|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Going to The Ball, signing up for JDate, downloading JSwipe are all modern-day rites of passage.
The Craziest Date Night for Single Jews, Where Mistletoe Is Ditched for Shots|Emily Shire|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the neighborhoods they grow up in, prison is a rite of passage and being a street gangster is a viable career choice.
The Mexican Mafia Is the Daddy of All Street Gangs|Seth Ferranti|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That morning, he sat in the windowsill and began his day like every other: reading the Bible passage that coincided with the date.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis|Nina Strochlic|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Henry Hudson sailed from Gravesend on his first voyage for the discovery of a northwest passage to India.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
That he discovered two staples upon one side, which was all of boards, without any passage for light.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
She heard through the half-open door Mr. Orgreave's slippers on the tiles of the passage leading to the stairs.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
This work is now lost, and we know it only by the abstract given by Photius in the passage quoted.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
Capt. Ross sailed from Shetland, on his first voyage for the discovery of the north-west passage.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

British Dictionary definitions for passage (1 of 2)

passage¹

/ (ˈpæsɪdʒ) /

noun

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

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

a way, as in a hall or lobby

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

a journey, esp by shipthe outward passage took a week

the act or process of passing from one place, condition, etc, to anotherpassage of a gas through a liquid

the permission, right, or freedom to passto be denied passage through a country

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

an evacuation of the bowels

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

Word Origin for passage

C13: from Old French from passer to pass

British Dictionary definitions for passage (2 of 2)

passage²

/ (ˈpæsɪdʒ, ˈpæsɑːʒ) dressage /

noun

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

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

verb

to move or cause to move at a passage

Word Origin for passage

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

Medical definitions for passage

passage

[ păs′ĭj ]

A movement from one place to another.

The process of passing from one condition or stage to another.

A path, channel, or duct through, over, or along which something may pass.

An act of emptying, as of the bowels.

The process of passing or maintaining a group of microorganisms or cells through a series of hosts or cultures.

passage

Origin of passage

Words nearby passage

Other definitions for passage (2 of 2)

Origin of passage

Words related to passage

How to use passage in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for passage (1 of 2)

Word Origin for passage

British Dictionary definitions for passage (2 of 2)

Word Origin for passage

Medical definitions for passage