Definition Definition

passing - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'passing' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Passing [ a.]
- Relating to the act of passing or going; going by, beyond, through, or away; departing.
- Exceeding; surpassing, eminent.
2 . Passing [ adv.]
- Exceedingly; excessively; surpassingly; as, passing fair; passing strange.
3 . Passing [ n.]
- The act of one who, or that which, passes; the act of going by or away.
4 . Passing [ p. pr. & vb. n.]
- of Pass

Meaning of 'passing' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . passing [ n]
Meaning (1):
- success in satisfying a test or requirement
Example in sentence:
  • he got a pass in introductory chemistry;
  • his future depended on his passing that test
Meaning (2):
- going by something that is moving in order to get in front of it
Example in sentence:
  • she drove but well but her reckless passing of every car on the road frightened me
Meaning (3):
- the motion of one object relative to another
Example in sentence:
  • stellar passings can perturb the orbits of comets
Meaning (4):
- (American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
Example in sentence:
  • the coach sent in a passing play on third and long
Meaning (5):
- a bodily reaction of changing from one place or stage to another
Example in sentence:
  • the passage of air from the lungs;
  • the passing of flatus
Meaning (6):
- the end of something
Example in sentence:
  • the passing of winter
Meaning (7):
- euphemistic expressions for death
Example in sentence:
  • thousands mourned his passing
8 . passing [ a]
Meaning (8):
- of advancing the ball by throwing it
Example in sentence:
  • a pass play;
  • a team with a good passing attack
9 . passing [ r]
Meaning (9):
- to an extraordinary degree
Example in sentence:
  • I will mention only one particular aspect of the current mess because ... this one is surely something new and passing strange;
  • she was a surpassingly beautiful woman
10 . passing [ s]
Meaning (10):
- hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
Example in sentence:
  • a casual (or cursory) inspection failed to reveal the house's structural flaws;
  • a passing glance;
  • In his paper, he showed a very superficial understanding of psychoanalytic theory;
  • perfunctory courtesy
Meaning (11):
- lasting a very short time
Example in sentence:
  • a passing fancy;
  • fugacious blossoms;
  • love is transitory but it is eternal;
  • the ephemeral joys of childhood;
  • youth's transient beauty
Meaning (12):
- allowing you to pass (e.g., an examination or inspection) satisfactorily
Example in sentence:
  • a passing grade