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 passage—
William Shakespeare
William 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 town—C. A. Willoughby
C. A. Willoughby5
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 color—Clive Bell
Clive Bell7
: 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
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 WebMelissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2024
Since the passage of the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, in 1996, the United States Department of Agriculture has encouraged individuals and corporations to glean by protecting them from liability if the goods cause harm.
—Patricia Marx, The New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2024
The passage of this bill does not lead to an immediate ban but grants ByteDance nine months to a year to sell the social media app’s U.S. operations.
—Abigail Beck, The Arizona Republic, 24 Apr. 2024
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell celebrated the passage of aid to Ukraine but blamed Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump for a monthslong delay.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 24 Apr. 2024
Inserting the TikTok crackdown aimed to appease conservatives — and ensured its Senate passage.
—Gillian Brassil, Sacramento Bee, 24 Apr. 2024
In order to swim from Jim Falls, Wisconsin, to Alton, Illinois, the fish would have had to pass through multiple large hydroelectric dams and navigate a complex series of locks designed for boat passage.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 24 Apr. 2024
What happens next In voting against passage of the rule, the two Republican FTC commissioners on the five-person panel argued that the agency lacks the authority to ban noncompetes.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2024
Our brains constantly monitor a complex influx of signals arriving with different timings, and the balancing act from all those signals, combined with many internal operations, combine to give us our sense of time’s passage.
—Paul M. Sutter, Discover Magazine, 23 Apr. 2024
Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
And on March 5, Gallagher and Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, of Illinois, introduced the TikTok bill, moving it to passage in the House within a week.
—Aynne Kokas, Foreign Affairs, 3 Apr. 2024
Ultimately, most House Republicans opposed the spending bill, as Democrats propelled it to passage.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2024
Biden’s words may provide a push for a bill that has gathered momentum quickly in Congress but still faces hurdles to passage.
—Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
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
Noun
Now he’s charged with killing woman on subway April 24, 2024
The incidents have forced leaders to grapple with how to ensure safe passage on public transportation.
—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2024
Since the passage of the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, in 1996, the United States Department of Agriculture has encouraged individuals and corporations to glean by protecting them from liability if the goods cause harm.
—Patricia Marx, The New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2024
The passage of this bill does not lead to an immediate ban but grants ByteDance nine months to a year to sell the social media app’s U.S. operations.
—Abigail Beck, The Arizona Republic, 24 Apr. 2024
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell celebrated the passage of aid to Ukraine but blamed Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump for a monthslong delay.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 24 Apr. 2024
Inserting the TikTok crackdown aimed to appease conservatives — and ensured its Senate passage.
—Gillian Brassil, Sacramento Bee, 24 Apr. 2024
In order to swim from Jim Falls, Wisconsin, to Alton, Illinois, the fish would have had to pass through multiple large hydroelectric dams and navigate a complex series of locks designed for boat passage.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 24 Apr. 2024
What happens next In voting against passage of the rule, the two Republican FTC commissioners on the five-person panel argued that the agency lacks the authority to ban noncompetes.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2024
Our brains constantly monitor a complex influx of signals arriving with different timings, and the balancing act from all those signals, combined with many internal operations, combine to give us our sense of time’s passage.
—Paul M. Sutter, Discover Magazine, 23 Apr. 2024
Verb
The legislation may face an uphill climb to passage in the Senate.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
And on March 5, Gallagher and Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, of Illinois, introduced the TikTok bill, moving it to passage in the House within a week.
—Aynne Kokas, Foreign Affairs, 3 Apr. 2024
Ultimately, most House Republicans opposed the spending bill, as Democrats propelled it to passage.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2024
Biden’s words may provide a push for a bill that has gathered momentum quickly in Congress but still faces hurdles to passage.
—Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
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
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.
Dictionary Entries Near passage
Cite this Entry
“Passage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/passage. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
passage
1 of 2 noun
pas·sage
ˈpas-ij 
1
: the action or process of passing from one place, condition, or stage to another
the passage of air from the lungs—Encyclopedia Americana
Encyclopedia Americana2
: 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 times—Journal of the American Medical Association
Journal of the American Medical AssociationLove words? Need even more definitions?
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