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. by the way; incidentally

   he mentioned your visit in passing

Other Word Forms

• passingly adverb
• passingness noun
• unpassing 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

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to the actor, saying his passing "marks the end of an era in Indian cinema".

Read more on BBC

Together with her sister ships, HMS Tyne and HMS Mersey, the Royal Navy says the ships are able to "escort passing foreign warships, mount fishing vessel inspections and defend the UK border".

Read more on BBC

“I always say I got the easy part, in passing to the guys,” Paul, now 40, has said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Defenders now spend more time passing the ball to one another than ever before.

Read more on BBC

The loss wasn’t for a lack of effort from its passing attack.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cursory 
• fleeting 
• superficial