: the act of one that passes or causes to pass
especially
: death sense 1a
1
: going by or past
a passing pedestrian
2
: having a brief duration
a passing whim
3
obsolete
: surpassing
4
: superficial
a passing acquaintance
a passing resemblance
5
a
: of, relating to, or used in or for the act or process of passing
passing lanes
b
: given on satisfactory completion of an examination or course of study
a passing grade
: to a surpassing degree : exceedingly
passing strange
Examples of passing in a Sentence
Noun
After her husband's passing, she moved to a smaller house.
We all mourned his passing.
Adjective
Someone called out from a passing car.
She sells flowers to passing motorists.
Let's hope that these shoes are just a passing fad.
a passing phase in childhood
Adverb
a passing strange turn of events
Recent Examples on the Web
Austin Meek, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
The Eagles' passing offense exploded in Week 7 against Minnesota for a season-high 316 passing yards in the 28-22 win on the road.
—Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 26 Oct. 2025
Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
James Cook is a great running back and certainly helps open up the passing game, and while the Bills have a decent tight end room and some average pass catchers, there isn't one wide receiver on the roster who scares teams.
—Jon Conahan, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for passing
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Noun
Underwood had pedestrian passing numbers but generally played mistake-free football, aided by a controversial offsides call that negated a sack and fumble.
—Austin Meek, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
The Eagles' passing offense exploded in Week 7 against Minnesota for a season-high 316 passing yards in the 28-22 win on the road.
—Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Thompson scored a goal and also had an assist on a pretty passing play that went from him to Zach Benson to Jiri Kulich, who finished with a one-timer.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
James Cook is a great running back and certainly helps open up the passing game, and while the Bills have a decent tight end room and some average pass catchers, there isn't one wide receiver on the roster who scares teams.
—Jon Conahan, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for passing
Cite this Entry
“Passing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/passing. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
passing
1 of 2 noun
pass·ing
ˈpas-iŋ 
1
: the act of one that passes or causes to pass
2
passing
2 of 2 adjective1
: going by or past
the passing crowd
2
: lasting only for a short time
3
: used for the act or process of passing
the passing lane
4
: given on satisfactory completion of an examination or course of study
a passing grade
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