passing meaning and definition

PASSING noun

Definition of passing (noun)

1. (American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
   • "the coach sent in a passing play on third and long"
   • synonyms: pass, passing game, passing play
2. euphemistic expressions for death
   • "thousands mourned his passing"
   • synonyms: departure, exit, expiration, going, loss, release
3. the motion of one object relative to another
   • "stellar passings can perturb the orbits of comets"
   • synonyms: passage
4. the end of something
   • "the passing of winter"
5. a bodily reaction of changing from one place or stage to another
   • "the passage of air from the lungs"; "the passing of flatus"
   • synonyms: passage
6. going by something that is moving in order to get in front of it
   • "she drove but well but her reckless passing of every car on the road frightened me"
   • synonyms: overtaking
7. success in satisfying a test or requirement
   • "his future depended on his passing that test"; "he got a pass in introductory chemistry"
   • synonyms: pass, qualifying
   • antonym: failing

PASSING adjective

Definition of passing (adjective)

1. lasting a very short time
   • "the ephemeral joys of childhood"; "a passing fancy"; "youth's transient beauty"; "love is transitory but it is eternal"; "fugacious blossoms"
   • synonyms: ephemeral, fugacious, short-lived, transient, transitory
2. of advancing the ball by throwing it
   • "a team with a good passing attack"; "a pass play"
   • synonyms: pass
   • antonym: running
3. allowing you to pass (e.g., an examination or inspection) satisfactorily
   • "a passing grade"
4. hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
   • "a casual (or cursory) inspection failed to reveal the house's structural flaws"; "a passing glance"; "perfunctory courtesy"
   • synonyms: casual, cursory, perfunctory

PASSING adverb

Definition of passing (adverb)

1. to an extreme degree
   • "extremely cold"; "extremely unpleasant"
   • synonyms: exceedingly, extremely, super