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. in passing
   by the way; incidentally

   he mentioned your visit in passing

Other Words From

• pass·ing·ly adverb
• pass·ing·ness noun
• un·pass·ing 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

Both teams rushed the ball fairly well — the Bucs had 14 carries for 60 yards and the Chiefs had 11 for 57 — but Kansas City got much of that production from quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has struggled in the passing game.

From Washington Post

For Green, though, his passing, screening and acumen are critical to opening the door for Curry to carry the scoring load.

From FiveThirtyEight

He was used sparingly by the Raiders in the passing game this season, catching 13 passes for 69 yards and two scores.

From Washington Post

The Bills struggled when the passing game was thrown off rhythm in 2020.

From FiveThirtyEight

The league is shifting more and more to the passing game, allowing average quarterbacks to tally higher yardage totals just by virtue of suiting up under center.

From Washington Post

The big slug happened to hit the suspect in the street, passing through his arm and then striking Police Officer Andrew Dossi.

From The Daily Beast

A passing off-duty school safety officer named Fred Lucas said that he had been told the man was a drug dealer.

From The Daily Beast

While Drake is redefining realness, Iggy is effectively “passing.”

From The Daily Beast

Lawmaking by legislatures is also a one-way ratchet—Legislators get credit for passing laws, not pruning them.

From The Daily Beast

It was a Republican Congress working with a Democratic president that succeeded in passing the welfare reform bill the first time.

From The Daily Beast

At present, Louis was too self-absorbed by the struggles within him, to look deep into what was passing around him.

From Project Gutenberg

Again the sallow fingers began to play with the book-covers, passing from one to another, but always slowly and gently.

From Project Gutenberg

In passing to her own chamber she met the Emperor, and, in the agitation of her maternal fears, told him all that had passed.

From Project Gutenberg

Passing, now, to the other side of elasticity—i.e., contractility—can we say as much?

From Project Gutenberg

It may be noted in passing that in the three miracles in Matthew of exorcising a blinding demon the title “Son of David” is used.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• cursory
• fleeting
• superficial