passage

1 of 2

noun

pas·​sage ˈpa-sij How to pronounce passage (audio)
1
a
: a way of exit or entrance : a road, path, channel, or course by which something passes
Special ships clear passages through the ice.
nasal passages
b
: a corridor or lobby giving access to the different rooms or parts of a building or apartment
Her office is at the end of the passage.
2
a
: the action or process of passing from one place, condition, or stage to another
the passage of food through the digestive system
b
: death sense 1a
when he is fit and seasoned for his passageWilliam Shakespeare
c
: a continuous movement or flow
the passage of time
3
a(1)
: a specific act of traveling or passing especially by sea or air
a long ocean passage
(2)
: a privilege of conveyance as a passenger : accommodations
was able to secure passage on the next flight
b
: the passing of a legislative measure or law : enactment
a bill's passage into law
4
: a right, liberty, or permission to pass
attempted to force passage through the townC. A. Willoughby
5
a
: something that happens or is done : incident
The soldier related some exciting passages.
b
: something that takes place between two persons mutually
the passage of vows between bride and groom
6
a
: a usually brief portion of a written work or speech that is relevant to a point under discussion or noteworthy for content or style
quoted a passage from the Bible
b
: a phrase or short section of a musical composition
The violinist played the challenging passages with great virtuosity.
c
: a detail of a work of art (such as a painting)
the picture contains several pretty passages of colorClive Bell
7
: the act or action of passing something or undergoing a passing
The computer facilitates the rapid passage of information.
8
: incubation (see incubate sense 1b) of a pathogen (such as a virus) in culture, a living organism, or a developing egg

passage

2 of 2

verb

passaged; passaging

intransitive verb

: to go past or across : cross

transitive verb

: to subject to passage
passaged a virus

Examples of passage in a Sentence

Noun We squeezed through a narrow passage between the rocks. Special ships clear passages through the ice. The medicine makes breathing easier by opening nasal passages. They controlled the passage of goods through their territory. the passage of food through the digestive system the passage of air into and out of the lungs the passage from life to death the passage of the seasons He left after the passage of a few hours. With the passage of time, the number of children suffering with the disease has decreased dramatically.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
His reporting resulted directly in the passage of five new laws. Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2024 Asked about the uncertainty of Proposition 1’s passage, Newsom stressed the unique aspects of the measure, including its language on housing and drug treatment that differs from the state’s previous mental health legislation, and added that the new measure was not a tax increase. Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 California voters have approved a measure that will impose strict requirements on counties to spend on housing and drug treatment programs to tackle the state’s homelessness crisis, in a tissue-thin win for Gov. Gavin Newsom, who personally campaigned for the measure’s passage. Trân Nguyễn, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024 But the computer still handled those sequences strictly sequentially—word by tedious word—and missed out on context clues that might appear later in a passage. Steven Levy, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024 Those tactics could push final passage past 12:01 on Saturday morning, when funding is set to expire. Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024 My trip aboard was spent entirely in the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean, where passages between ports were short and the seas were often calm. Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 19 Mar. 2024 But the era’s highest tariffs were adopted by the United States, with the passage of the McKinley Tariff Act of 1890 that included duties on imports as high as 49.5 percent. TIME, 18 Mar. 2024 But why should anyone follow Heller or Bruen, whose reasoning attempts to defy the very passage of time? Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2024
Verb
Some members expressed concern about the speed with which the bill made its way to passage Still, some members expressed concern about the speed with which the bill made its way to passage. Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 15 Mar. 2024 The dynamics signal a tougher and probably slower path to passage there. Mariana Alfaro, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 Representative Steve Scalise, Republican of Louisiana and the majority leader, said on Monday that the House would try to speed the bill to passage under special procedures reserved for noncontroversial legislation, which require a two-thirds majority for passage. Jonathan Swan, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 On Tuesday morning, after an overnight session, a bipartisan group of senators coalesced around the package, propelling it to passage after months of disagreement about how to move forward. Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2024 Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who has been critical of Biden's handling of Ukraine and other national security issues, is nevertheless pushing past the isolationists in his party to marshal the national security package to passage. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 11 Feb. 2024 Ellroy reads all of the narrative passages himself, with a series of actors — including Brian Cox, Elliott Gould, Maya Hawke, Bobby Cannavale and Matt Dillon — reading the dialogue. Lacey Rose, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2024 But far-right members of the GOP conference, furious with Johnson’s deal with Schumer, could throw obstacles in the way, slowing the path to passage and jamming the government up against yet another potential shutdown. Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2024 Seventy-five years ago, on December 10, 1948, Eleanor Roosevelt, former first lady, got a standing ovation for guiding to passage the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Joseph Loconte, National Review, 10 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'passage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1824, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of passage was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near passage

Cite this Entry

“Passage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/passage. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

passage

noun
pas·​sage
ˈpas-ij
1
: the action or process of passing from one place or condition to another
2
a
: a road, path, channel, or course by which something can pass
3
b
: a right to travel as a passenger
book passage on an airplane
4
: the passing of a law
5
: a usually brief portion of a written work or speech or of a musical composition

Medical Definition

passage

1 of 2 noun
pas·​sage ˈpas-ij How to pronounce passage (audio)
1
: the action or process of passing from one place, condition, or stage to another
the passage of air from the lungsEncyclopedia Americana
2
: an anatomical channel
the nasal passages
3
: a movement or an evacuation of the bowels
4
a
: an act or action of passing something or undergoing a passing
passage of a catheter through the urethra
b
: incubation of a pathogen (as a virus) in a tissue culture, a developing egg, or a living organism to increase the amount of pathogen or to alter its characteristics
several passages of the virus through mice

passage

2 of 2 transitive verb
passaged; passaging
: to subject to passage
the virus has been passaged in series seven timesJournal of the American Medical Association

More from Merriam-Webster on passage

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!