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passing

4 1.7
Success in meeting the needed level in a test
  • noun
  • /ˈpæsɪŋ/
: aprobación
  • Miss Webster's recommended that you not be allowed to play basketball... unless you get a passing grade on her biology exam.
  • a passing score
  • passing rate
  • a passing grade

So passing this class is actually worrying me.

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Examples

  • Over the past 6 years, the average passing percentage for students has ranged from 35% to 55%.

    Academic text (2005)
  • I have no shot at passing because I don't get it!

    Fiction book (2002)
  • We just need the passing grade.

  • And I will give you a passing grade for the year.

    Academic text (1994)
  • A passing grade is all that most students seek, and a passing grade is all that they achieve.

    Academic text (2000)
  • A score of 3, then, is what is widely referred to as a "passing" grade.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Further, these students maintained passing levels for the remainder of the study.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Do students admitted early live up to their potential, or do they earn passing but mediocre grades?

    Academic text (1995)
  • The mean score was 179, with 170 representing the passing score needed in the state of Nebraska.

    Academic text (1996)
  • After studying hard for weeks, he was thrilled to receive a passing grade on his final exam.

Synonyms

success
vspassing
∞ 1.0

Getting what you want after working hard

is specific to meeting exam requirements not general achievement
pass
vspassing
12 1.4

A successful result in an exam

is limited to assessment results rather than wider achievements

Antonyms

75 2.9

Not getting the result someone wants

9 2.5

Not reaching the required standard for work or exams

Idioms

25 3.8

While mentioning something briefly without giving it much attention

Compounds

passing game
  • Jargon
25 3.6

A series of plays in American football that move the ball by throwing to teammates

passing play
  • Specialized
7 4.4

A play in American football where a player throws the ball forward to a teammate

A short casual remark that someone says without thinking

The death of a woman's husband

1 7.1

Act of putting blame on others to avoid doing a job you should do

passing shot
  • Specialized
1 4.6

A tennis hit that goes past an opponent at the net

passing note
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A small note between two main notes in a melody that connects them smoothly

passing tone
  • Specialized
1 7.8

A note played between two main notes to make the tune move smoothly

A workplace culture where people avoid responsibility by blaming others

A light on a car that makes a low beam to light the road without hurting other drivers' eyes

8.2

To let out urine from the body

How Successful

distinction
  • Formal
51 4.6
merit
262 3.5
passing
4 1.7
failure
710 1.3

Surface Forms

passing singular
passings plural

Morphology

passing = pass (transparent) = pass + ing

The noun is a direct nominalization of the verb 'pass' with the productive suffix '-ing', so learners can infer 'passing' as 'success in passing'.

Etymology

Passing comes from pass, meaning 'to succeed' in a test or rule. A passing is the success or result that lets you move on, so the word means achieving the required standard.