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 WebCate Brown, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
In 1968, following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, President Lyndon B. Johnson formed the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence, whose recommendations led to the passage of the Gun Control Act.
—Ieva Jusionyte, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2024
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, a Republican, applauded the legislation's passage through the legislature.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2024
Those divisions did not prevent the passage of the four bills Friday, though the Third Way’s proposal received more support than those from Tusk’s party and the from left-wing group Lewica.
—Rob Picheta, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Before its passage, the federal government owned the patents on inventions resulting from academic research that had received any amount of federal funding.
—Jungsang Kim, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
Win McNamee/Getty Images Opposition from House conservatives, who pushed to consider individual bills and cut overall spending, was the key factor that delayed passage of this year's funding packages.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024
Last year, the Sacramento Unified School District — anticipating the law’s passage — agreed to a 10% increase for its food service workers and other low-paying jobs, followed by another 6% increase July 1 of this year to bump their wages up to $20 per hour.
—Adam Beam, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
These transcriptions were no longer piano etudes, per se, but the performances conveyed the essence of practicing, of learning a piece by slowly going over and over passages, getting more and more inside the sound of your instrument.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
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
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
Noun
The Post’s review also found that the ambulance was discovered along a route provided by COGAT, an arm of the Israeli Defense Ministry that generally coordinates safe passage for medical vehicles with the IDF.
—Cate Brown, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
In 1968, following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, President Lyndon B. Johnson formed the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence, whose recommendations led to the passage of the Gun Control Act.
—Ieva Jusionyte, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2024
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, a Republican, applauded the legislation's passage through the legislature.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2024
Those divisions did not prevent the passage of the four bills Friday, though the Third Way’s proposal received more support than those from Tusk’s party and the from left-wing group Lewica.
—Rob Picheta, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Before its passage, the federal government owned the patents on inventions resulting from academic research that had received any amount of federal funding.
—Jungsang Kim, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
Win McNamee/Getty Images Opposition from House conservatives, who pushed to consider individual bills and cut overall spending, was the key factor that delayed passage of this year's funding packages.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024
Last year, the Sacramento Unified School District — anticipating the law’s passage — agreed to a 10% increase for its food service workers and other low-paying jobs, followed by another 6% increase July 1 of this year to bump their wages up to $20 per hour.
—Adam Beam, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
These transcriptions were no longer piano etudes, per se, but the performances conveyed the essence of practicing, of learning a piece by slowly going over and over passages, getting more and more inside the sound of your instrument.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Verb
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
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
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 19 Apr. 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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