passing

[pas-ing, pah-sing] /ˈpæs ɪŋ, ˈpɑ sɪŋ/
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.
adverb
6.
surpassingly; exceedingly; very.
noun
7.
the act of a person or thing that passes or causes something to pass.
8.
a means or place of passage.
Idioms
9.
in passing, by the way; incidentally:
The speaker mentioned his latest book in passing.
Origin
1275-1325; Middle English; see pass, -ing2, -ing1
Related forms
passingly, adverb
passingness, noun
unpassing, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for in passing

passing

/ˈpɑːsɪŋ/
adjective
1.
transitory or momentary: a passing fancy
2.
cursory or casual in action or manner: a passing reference
adverb, adjective
3.
(archaic) to an extreme degree: the events were passing strange
noun
4.
a place where or means by which one may pass, cross, ford, etc
5.
a euphemism for death
6.
in passing, by the way; incidentally: he mentioned your visit in passing
Word Origin and History for in passing

passing

adv.

"in a (sur)passing degree, surpassingly," late 14c., from pass (v.).

n.

"death," 1869, verbal noun from pass (v.).

Idioms and Phrases with in passing

in passing

Incidentally, by the way, as in “It may be remarked in passing” (Charlotte Bront&edie;, Shirley, 1849). [ Mid-1800s ]