passing

American  

[pas-ing] / ˈpæs ɪŋ /

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.

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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.

idioms

1. in passing, by the way; incidentally.

   The speaker mentioned his latest book in passing.

passing British  

/ ˈpɑːsɪŋ /

adjective

1. transitory or momentary

   a passing fancy

2. cursory or casual in action or manner

   a passing reference

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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

Etymology

Origin of passing

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

Example Sentences

After passing through metal detectors, groups of about 750 people were being allowed into the hill town basilica's lower church every half an hour starting from 7:00am.

From Barron's

The NFL said they were "deeply saddened" by the "tragic passing" of Moore.

From BBC

The grand marshal of the festival, Butler, who lost his longtime home in Altadena in last year’s Eaton fire, embodies the event’s theme of passing the baton to the next generation.

From Los Angeles Times

Pilots often experience an optical illusion of a passing object that can make it appear to be traveling at great speed even if it is barely moving, officials have said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Retired Wallabies prop Slipper became the first Australian to bring up the 200-game milestone and he is close to passing the all-time record, held by former Crusaders and All Blacks prop Wyatt Crockett.

From Barron's

Related Words

• cursory
• fleeting
• superficial