What does "passing" mean?
Death, dying; the end of something.
Passing
adj, adv, noun, verb
adj, adv, noun, verb ·2 syllables ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Death, dying; the end of something.
- Grammar: passing is listed as adj, adv, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: passage, abandonment, abrupt, acceptable.
- Useful contrasts: running, ban, block.
- Usage evidence: Education shouldn't be aimed at passing a test.
How to use "passing"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "passing" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "passing" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "passing" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "passing" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "passing" is acting as adj, adv, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "passage" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "passing", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Death, dying; the end of something. countable, uncountable
- 2 success in satisfying a test or requirement wordnet
- 3 The fact of going past; a movement from one place to another or a change from one state to another. countable, uncountable
"And since he did not see Louie by the folding door, Louie knew that in his former passings and repassings he could not have seen her either."
- 4 going by something that is moving in order to get in front of it wordnet
- 5 The act of approving a bill etc. countable, uncountable
"But capital was proving difficult to raise; rumours were in the air that the G.W.R. and L.S.W.R. were about to patch up their quarrel, and the people of Southampton, who twelve months earlier had staged a torch-light procession to celebrate the passing of the D.N.S.R. Act, were increasingly loath to part with their cash."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 (American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate wordnet
- 7 The act of passing a ball etc. to another player. countable, uncountable
- 8 a bodily reaction of changing from one place or stage to another wordnet
- 9 A form of juggling where several people pass props between each other, usually clubs or rings. countable, uncountable
- 10 the end of something wordnet
- 11 The ability of a person to be regarded as a member of an identity group or category different from their own. countable, uncountable
"When there is a discrepancy between an individual's actual social identity and his virtual one, it is possible for this fact to be known to us before we normals contact him, or to be quite evident when he presents himself before us. He is a discredited person, and it is mainly he I have been dealing with until now. … However, when his differentness is not immediately apparent, and is not known beforehand, … he is a discreditable, not a discredited person …. The issue is … that of managing information about his failing. To display or not to display; to tell or not to tell; to let on or not to let on; to lie or not to lie; and in each case, to whom, how, when, and where. … It is this second general issue, the management of undisclosed discrediting information about self, that I am focusing on in these notes - in brief, 'passing'."
- 12 the motion of one object relative to another wordnet
- 13 euphemistic expressions for death wordnet
Verb
- 1 present participle and gerund of pass form-of, gerund, participle, present
Adjective
- 1 That passes away; ephemeral.
"And solace sought he none from priest nor leech, / And soon the same in movement and in speech / As heretofore he fill'd the passing hours […]"
- 2 Pre-eminent, excellent, extreme. archaic, literary
"her passing deformity"
- 3 Vague, cursory.
"to make a passing comment"
- 4 Going past.
"passing cars"
- 5 That passes in any sense.
"a passing transsexual"
Adjective
- 1 hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough wordnet
- 2 of advancing the ball by throwing it wordnet
- 3 lasting a very short time wordnet
- 4 allowing you to pass (e.g., an examination or inspection) satisfactorily wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Surpassingly, greatly. archaic, literary, not-comparable
"[...] for she was called a fair lady, and a passing wise, and her name was called Igraine."
Adverb
- 1 to an extraordinary degree wordnet
Example
"Education shouldn't be aimed at passing a test."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "passing"?
Common synonyms include: passage, abandonment, abrupt, acceptable, accidental, accompanying.
How do you use "passing" in a sentence?
Education shouldn't be aimed at passing a test.
Etymology
From pass + -ing.