passing
1 of 3noun
pass·ing ˈpa-siŋ 
: the act of one that passes or causes to pass
especially : death sense 1a
passing
2 of 3adjective
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
passing
3 of 3adverb
: to a surpassing degree : exceedingly
passing strange
Synonyms
Noun
- curtains
- death
- decease
- demise
- dissolution
- doom
- end
- exit
- expiration
- expiry
- fate
- grave
- great divide
- passage
- quietus
- sleep
Adjective
- brief
- deciduous
- ephemeral
- evanescent
- flash
- fleeting
- fugacious
- fugitive
- impermanent
- momentary
- short-lived
- temporary
- transient
- transitory
Adverb
- achingly
- almighty
- archly
- awful
- awfully
- badly
- beastly
- blisteringly
- bone
- colossally
- corking
- cracking
- damn
- damned
- dang
- deadly
- desperately
- eminently
- enormously
- especially
- ever
- exceedingly
- exceeding
- extra
- extremely
- fabulously
- fantastically
- far
- fiercely
- filthy
- frightfully
- full
- greatly
- heavily
- highly
- hugely
- immensely
- incredibly
- intensely
- jolly
- majorly
- mightily
- mighty
- monstrous [chiefly dialect]
- mortally
- most
- much
- particularly
- rattling
- real
- really
- right
- roaring
- roaringly
- seriously
- severely
- so
- sore
- sorely
- spanking
- specially
- stinking
- such
- super
- supremely
- surpassingly
- terribly
- that
- thumping
- too
- unco
- uncommonly
- vastly
- very
- vitally
- way
- whacking
- wicked
- wildly
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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 See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Tucker Reals, Haley Ott, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2022 With the passing of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, a historic 70-year reign comes to a close. A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 8 Sep. 2022 Deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2022 With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, there is a new line of succession to the British throne. Morgan Winsor, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2022 The Olympic family is saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Shavez Hart, a proud native of Abaco. Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 6 Sep. 2022 When, with the passing of the 18th amendment, alcohol became effectively banned in the United States, out-in-the-open bars were replaced by these discreet pubs. Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 17 Aug. 2022 Jim Davis ▪ Saddened to hear of the passing of former Red Sox pitcher Win Remmerswaal. Dan Shaughnessy, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Aug. 2022 With the one-two gut punch of the recent passing of stars Ray Liotta and Paul Sorvino, a home rewatch of this all-time classic Scorsese mobster drama is absolutely in order. Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 2 Aug. 2022 Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 9 Sep. 2022 The threat of Tischer’s speed, meanwhile, only opened up the passing game. Patrick Z. Mcgavin, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2022 As a result, only UCLA gave up more passing yards than OSU in the Pac-12 in 2021. oregonlive, 10 May 2022 Kyler Murray is at +2000 to have the most passing yards in the upcoming season, tied for 10th in the odds. Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 19 May 2022 The Ravens’ rebuilt secondary has considerable room for improvement after last year’s two blowout defeats, in which quarterback Joe Burrow set an NFL record for the most passing yards against one team in a single season (941). Jonas Shaffer, Baltimore Sun, 12 May 2022 The Eagles are sixth in the country in fewest passing yards allowed per game with 162.8 and ninth on third-down defense (.305). Trevor Hass, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Nov. 2021 The Eagles made major strides defensively last fall, finishing third in points allowed (22.2) and giving up by far the fewest passing yards per game in the conference (173.5). Trevor Hass, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Aug. 2022 Cooper, Watson and Brissett are first-time teammates, and the wide receiver has been working to develop a passing-game rapport with the quarterbacks during the offseason and now at training camp, which started this week. Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 28 July 2022 See More
Noun
Deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Tucker Reals, Haley Ott, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2022 With the passing of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, a historic 70-year reign comes to a close. A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 8 Sep. 2022 Deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2022 With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, there is a new line of succession to the British throne. Morgan Winsor, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2022 The Olympic family is saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Shavez Hart, a proud native of Abaco. Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 6 Sep. 2022 When, with the passing of the 18th amendment, alcohol became effectively banned in the United States, out-in-the-open bars were replaced by these discreet pubs. Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 17 Aug. 2022 Jim Davis ▪ Saddened to hear of the passing of former Red Sox pitcher Win Remmerswaal. Dan Shaughnessy, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Aug. 2022 With the one-two gut punch of the recent passing of stars Ray Liotta and Paul Sorvino, a home rewatch of this all-time classic Scorsese mobster drama is absolutely in order. Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 2 Aug. 2022 Adjective
Brees retired after the 2020 season with more passing yards than any other player in NFL history. Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 9 Sep. 2022 The threat of Tischer’s speed, meanwhile, only opened up the passing game. Patrick Z. Mcgavin, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2022 As a result, only UCLA gave up more passing yards than OSU in the Pac-12 in 2021. oregonlive, 10 May 2022 Kyler Murray is at +2000 to have the most passing yards in the upcoming season, tied for 10th in the odds. Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 19 May 2022 The Ravens’ rebuilt secondary has considerable room for improvement after last year’s two blowout defeats, in which quarterback Joe Burrow set an NFL record for the most passing yards against one team in a single season (941). Jonas Shaffer, Baltimore Sun, 12 May 2022 The Eagles are sixth in the country in fewest passing yards allowed per game with 162.8 and ninth on third-down defense (.305). Trevor Hass, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Nov. 2021 The Eagles made major strides defensively last fall, finishing third in points allowed (22.2) and giving up by far the fewest passing yards per game in the conference (173.5). Trevor Hass, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Aug. 2022 Cooper, Watson and Brissett are first-time teammates, and the wide receiver has been working to develop a passing-game rapport with the quarterbacks during the offseason and now at training camp, which started this week. Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 28 July 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adverb
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing passing
Kids Definition
passing 1 of 2
adjective
pass·ing ˈpa-siŋ
1
: going by or past
passing cars
2
: lasting only for a short time
a passing fad
3
: showing haste or lack of attention
a passing glance
4
: used for going past
passing lanes
5
: showing satisfactory work in a test or course of study
a passing mark
passing
2 of 2noun
1
: the act of going by or going away
We await the passing of winter.
2
: death sense 1
passing 1 of 4
adjective
as in flash
lasting only for a short time his parents were willing to buy him a piano if he demonstrated that his interest in music was more than a passing fancy Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- flash
- brief
- temporary
- transient
- fleeting
- short
- momentary
- transitory
- ephemeral
- evanescent
- little
- fugacious
- acting
- short-lived
- deciduous
- fugitive
- impermanent
- interim
- shortish
- provisional
- short-term
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- permanent
- enduring
- lasting
- unending
- eternal
- endless
- everlasting
- immortal
- timeless
- undying
- perpetual
- ceaseless
- deathless
- lifelong
- persistent
- continuing
- durable
- long-lived
- dateless
- indestructible
- imperishable
- indefectible
passing
2 of 4noun
as in death
the permanent stopping of all the vital bodily activities the precise moment of his passing was recorded by the machines at his bedside Synonyms & Similar Words
- death
- demise
- fate
- passage
- doom
- exit
- dissolution
- end
- expiration
- grave
- decease
- sleep
- expiry
- curtains
- suicide
- great divide
- destruction
- ending
- killing
- assassination
- execution
- fatality
- quietus
- casualty
- slaughter
- martyrdom
- annihilation
- massacre
- ruin
- extermination
- self-destruction
- self-slaughter
- self-murder
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- birth
- existence
- life
- creation
- rise
- nativity
- origination
- genesis
passing
3 of 4adverb
as in very
to a great degree a passing strange turn of events Synonyms & Similar Words
- very
- damn
- that
- extremely
- damned
- incredibly
- terribly
- too
- so
- full
- badly
- highly
- real
- far
- especially
- desperately
- exceeding
- such
- really
- severely
- way
- greatly
- seriously
- jolly
- most
- roaring
- cracking
- much
- super
- rattling
- wildly
- extra
- particularly
- mighty
- good and
- whacking
- thumping
- stinking
- awful
- heavily
- intensely
- specially
- deadly
- exceptionally
- fiercely
- immensely
- exceedingly
- almighty
- bone
- monstrous
- filthy
- corking
- wicked
- dang
- awfully
- a lot
- hugely
- vitally
- absolutely
- enormously
- sore
- sorely
- uncommonly
- surpassingly
- ever
- fantastically
- remarkably
- achingly
- positively
- frightfully
- totally
- supremely
- fabulously
- spanking
- completely
- right
- utterly
- mortally
- thoroughly
- deeply
- significantly
- unco
- vastly
- eminently
- entirely
- mightily
- beastly
- roaringly
- majorly
- archly
- visibly
- noticeably
- considerably
- blisteringly
- notably
- purely
- obviously
- substantially
- wholly
- colossally
- as all get-out
- downright
- profoundly
- fully
- radically
- extensively
- altogether
- markedly
- flat-out
- appreciably
- discernibly
- palpably
- obscenely
- grandly
- excessively
- monumentally
- astronomically
- plainly
- astonishingly
- overmuch
- abundantly
- monstrously
- amazingly
- plentifully
- staggeringly
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- little
- somewhat
- slightly
- nominally
- just
- negligibly
- barely
- scarcely
- hardly
- marginally
- minimally
- meagerly
- scantily
passing
4 of 4verb
1
as in handing
to shift possession of (something) from one person to another could you please pass me the phone? Synonyms & Similar Words
- handing
- reaching
- transferring
- giving
- carrying
- bucking
- relaying
- handling
- handing over
- rendering
- delivering
- bearing
- yielding
- surrendering
- relinquishing
- releasing
- fingering
- pawing
- ceding
- giving up
- turning over
2
as in stopping
to come to an end eventually, the storm passed Synonyms & Similar Words
- stopping
- expiring
- ending
- halting
- concluding
- ceasing
- dying
- closing
- finishing
- terminating
- lapsing
- going
- elapsing
- determining
- stalling
- discontinuing
- breaking off
- leaving off
- quitting
- winding up
- dead-ending
- breaking up
- pausing
- letting up
- winking (out)
- biting the dust
- suspending
- staying
- cutting out
- knocking off
- breaking down
- giving over
- winding down
- laying off (of)
- refraining (from)
- desisting (from)
- packing (up or in)
- abating
- conking (out)
- petering (out)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- continuing
- persisting
- extending
- hanging on
- prolonging
- protracting
- drawing out
3
as in leaving
to put (something) into the possession or safekeeping of another pass your forms to the department head once they're filled out Synonyms & Similar Words
- handing
- leaving
- giving
- transferring
- delivering
- transmitting
- relinquishing
- delegating
- granting
- commending
- entrusting
- confiding
- consigning
- committing
- recommending
- trusting
- distributing
- loaning
- bequeathing
- submitting
- reposing
- intrusting
- conferring
- dividing
- assigning
- lending
- dispersing
- vesting
- turning over
- giving over
- dispensing
- handing over
- supplying
- advancing
- surrendering
- furnishing
- yielding
- releasing
- willing
- handing down
- turning in
- retransmitting
- handing in
- retransferring
- dealing (out)
- redelivering
- handing on
- recommitting
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- holding
- keeping
- retaining
- receiving
- possessing
- owning
- taking
- withholding
- reserving
- accepting
- holding back
- occupying
- detaining
- taking in
- taking over
4
as in enacting
to put into effect through legislative or authoritative action Congress cannot pass any law restricting free speech Synonyms & Similar Words
- enacting
- approving
- legislating
- constituting
- making
- repassing
- dictating
- laying down
- effecting
- authorizing
- permitting
- ordaining
- ratifying
- executing
- proclaiming
- sanctioning
- bringing about
- confirming
- reenacting
- allowing
- administering
- decreeing
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- repealing
- revoking
- killing
- reversing
- invalidating
- rescinding
- abolishing
- canceling
- cancelling
- overturning
- nullifying
- annulling
- abrogating
- voiding
5
as in happening
to take place and the destruction of the town came to pass, just as the seer had predicted Synonyms & Similar Words
- happening
- coming
- being
- occurring
- doing
- chancing
- cooking
- coming down
- coming off
- transpiring
- betiding
- coming about
- going down
- rising
- going on
- befalling
- happing
- developing
- proceeding
- intervening
- coming to pass
- arising
- following
- breaking
- resulting
- materializing
- coming up
- falling out
- turning out
- shaping (up)
- going off
- springing (up)
- cropping (up)
6
as in experiencing
to come to a knowledge of (something) by living through it a presidential candidate who doesn't yet know how it feels to pass the scrutiny of the national press Synonyms & Similar Words
- experiencing
- undergoing
- having
- enduring
- seeing
- knowing
- witnessing
- feeling
- suffering
- receiving
- sustaining
- tasting
- encountering
- going through
- accepting
- meeting
- digesting
- assimilating
7
as in talking
to express (a thought or emotion) in words he'll occasionally pass some insightful comment, but in general he doesn't have much to contribute Synonyms & Similar Words
- talking
- uttering
- speaking
- telling
- saying
- sharing
- discussing
- giving
- stating
- announcing
- verbalizing
- articulating
- posting
- vocalizing
- bringing out
- shouting
- declaring
- whispering
- publishing
- looking
- enunciating
- putting
- voicing
- proclaiming
- affirming
- promulgating
- broadcasting
- breathing
- blazing
- advertising
- remarking
- commenting
- publicizing
- blurting
- murmuring
- airing
- sounding
- gasping
- putting into words
- shooting
- asserting
- ventilating
- bolting
- getting off
- mouthing
- chirping
- venting
- spouting
- spluttering
- blabbering
- formulating
- alleging
- drawling
- phrasing
- purring
- averring
- avouching
- wording
- avowing
- clothing
- lipping
- snarling
- couching
- formulizing
- ripping (out)
- piping up (with)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- suppressing
- stifling
8
as in refusing
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to we appreciate the invitation to the party, but we'll have to pass I'll pass on the coffee Synonyms & Similar Words
- refusing
- rejecting
- declining
- ignoring
- avoiding
- denying
- disapproving
- spurning
- dismissing
- denying
- withdrawing
- forbidding
- vetoing
- turning down
- prohibiting
- repudiating
- throwing over
- passing up
- reprobating
- disputing
- throwing out
- deselecting
- negativing
- disdaining
- nixing
- overruling
- scouting
- disputing
- bypassing
- scorning
- recalling
- detouring
- retracting
- proscribing
- revoking
- rebuffing
- sticking
- balking (at)
- renouncing
- negating
- blowing off
- disclaiming
- contradicting
- turning one's back on
- shooting down
- recanting
- disavowing
- disowning
- refuting
- taking back
- disproving
- backtracking
- disallowing
- unsaying
- forbearing
- abjuring
- controverting
- rebutting
- backing down
- gainsaying
- backing off
- forswearing
- foreswearing
- abstaining (from)
- refraining (from)
- reneging
- disagreeing (with)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- approving
- receiving
- accepting
- taking
- swallowing
- adopting
- agreeing (to)
- tolerating
- embracing
- welcoming
- agreeing
- supporting
- selecting
- assenting
- condoning
- choosing
- consenting
- countenancing
- acceding
- acquiescing
- espousing
- handpicking
9
as in flying
to withstand scrutiny and gain acceptance or approval the finished product isn't perfect, but it will pass Synonyms & Similar Words
- flying
- working
- washing
- playing
- taking
- standing up
- holding water
- passing muster
- holding up
- going down
- going over
- getting through
- going through