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. in passing
   by the way; incidentally

   he mentioned your visit in passing

Other Words From

• pass·ing·ly adverb
• pass·ing·ness noun
• un·pass·ing 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

“With heartfelt sorrow, we share the news of the passing of our beloved actor and friend,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times

So, the odds of Congress passing a new Farm Bill before year’s end remain slim.

From Salon

Palmer struggled that day for the Trojans, his 252 passing yards and two touchdowns offset by two interceptions, a fumble, six sacks and a run game that generated only 3.9 yards per carry.

From Los Angeles Times

Our conversation is interrupted by a passing patrol car.

From BBC

Through the past seven seasons the team had done very little tackling, dribbling, passing or scoring, losing more games than they won and getting outscored by 53 goals.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cursory
• fleeting
• superficial