passenger
Americannoun
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passengers
plural
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a person who is traveling in an automobile, bus, train, airplane, or other conveyance, especially one who is not the driver, pilot, or the like.
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a wayfarer; traveler.
noun
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a person travelling in a car, train, boat, etc, not driven by him
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( as modifier )
a passenger seat
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a member of a group or team who is a burden on the others through not participating fully in the work
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of passenger
1300–50; Middle English passager < Middle French, noun use of passag ( i ) er (adj.) passing, temporary; see passage 1, -ier 2; for -n- cf. messenger, harbinger, scavenger, popinjay
Explanation
A passenger is a person who rides in a vehicle. If you grab a ride home from school with your best friend, you are a passenger in her car. Everyone riding in a train, plane, bus, or any other vehicle is a passenger — except the driver, pilot, or crew. A passenger's only job is to ride along. In the fourteenth century, a passenger was simply a "passer-by," from the Old French passagier, "passing, fleeting, or traveling." The first instance of the modern use was recorded in the early 1500s.
Vocabulary lists containing passenger
Greetings, World Traveler! — List 1
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"Return to Titanic" and "Talking with Robert Ballard"
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for September 10–September 16, 2022
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Police said she was pronounced dead at the scene, and a front seat passenger of the Polo was taken to hospital for treatment.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The airline announced Thursday that it plans to expand its rollout of Starlink internet to its entire mainline fleet, embracing the fast wi-fi that has become a popular passenger perk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
When a cruise ship passenger contracted the rare hantavirus in May, accounts also immediately touted ivermectin as a "cure" even while there is no known treatment.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
The incident took place at 5:30 p.m. when the Delta Airlines passenger, who was booked on a flight to Seattle, breached Gate 12 of the airport, the spokesperson said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
“Next,” Ralph said, when he had returned his passenger.
From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary
The unsettling thing about the Axiom isn’t that its passengers are miserable.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Saudi authorities have not commented, while the airport told passengers to check with their airline before travelling there.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
The passengers on board the aircraft were overwhelmingly Israeli, with Netanyahu hailing them and the pilot for their bravery after the foiled attack.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Most of the time, offers of cash, travel vouchers and accommodations can help persuade passengers with flexible plans to give up seats voluntarily.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
A voice called out from the loudspeaker, and the last couple of passengers hurried along the platform.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
