rite of passage

Save This Word!

See synonyms for rite of passage on Thesaurus.com

noun

Anthropology. a ceremony performed to facilitate or mark a person's change of status upon any of several highly important occasions, as at the onset of puberty or upon entry into marriage or into a clan.

any important act or event that serves to mark a passage from one stage of life to another.

QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of rite of passage

First recorded in 1955–60

Words nearby rite of passage

ritardando, rite, rite de passage, ritenuto, rite of intensification, rite of passage, rites of passage, ritornello, Ritschlian, ritter, ritual

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use rite of passage in a sentence

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
The Dallas Cowboys sell out their state-of-the art football stadium.
Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 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

We happily hoist our egg nog in the air, embrace each other, and raise our out-of-tune voices in song.
The Most Confusing Christmas Music Lyrics Explained (VIDEO)|Kevin Fallon|December 24, 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 important rite was just completed, when a packet was put into Ripperda's hand from Spain.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
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

British Dictionary definitions for rite of passage

rite of passage

rite de passage

/ (French rit də pɑsaʒ) /

noun

a ceremony performed in some cultures at times when an individual changes his status, as at puberty and marriage

a significant event in a transitional period of someone's life

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

rite of passage

Origin of rite of passage

Words nearby rite of passage

Words related to rite of passage

How to use rite of passage in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rite of passage

rite de passage