Meaning & use
passing away
Last updated
“passing away” is a form of “pass away”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitiveeuphemistic
The -ing form of pass away: dying, said gently out of respect for the person or the family.
Grammar: Never takes an object: his grandfather is passing away, not passing him away.
Patterns
- someone is passing away
- hear of someone passing away
We were all sad to hear about her grandmother passing away last week.
He was by his father's side when he was passing away.
The family asked for privacy after their uncle's passing away.
noununcountableeuphemisticformal
The act or event of someone dying, used politely.
Grammar: Often with a possessive: after his passing away, the shop closed.
Patterns
- after someone's passing away
The news of the singer's passing away spread across the country.
Since her passing away, the family has kept the garden exactly as it was.
verbintransitiveliterary
The -ing form of pass away used for things that gradually end or disappear.
Grammar: Used with time or traditions: the old customs are passing away.
Patterns
- something is passing away
The old craft is slowly passing away as fewer people learn it.
Summer was passing away and the evenings grew cooler.
Word forms
| base form | pass away |
|---|---|
| third person singular | passes away |
| past tense | passed away |
| past participle | passed away |
Common combinations
- news of his passing away
- We heard the news of his passing away this morning.
- peacefully passing away
- She was peacefully passing away, surrounded by family.
- after her passing away
- After her passing away the house was sold.
- mourn the passing away
- The village came together to mourn the passing away of its oldest resident.
- on the verge of passing away
- The patient was on the verge of passing away when the doctors arrived.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dying
- Dying is direct and neutral, while passing away is softer and more polite.
- departing
- Departing is more poetic and religious, often found in writing about the afterlife.
- expiring
- Expiring is formal or medical and can sound cold, unlike the kinder passing away.
- slipping away
- Slipping away stresses a gradual, quiet end and is used when death is close.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: passing away or passing by?
passing away vs passing by
Passing by means moving past a place, so it is unrelated to death.
Practice
Which sentence uses passing away as a gentle way to speak about death?
Choose one answer.
Only the third sentence uses passing away to mean dying. In the others, away has an ordinary movement meaning that does not fit the phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “passing away”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.