rite of passage
noun
plural rites of passage
: a ritual, event, or experience that marks or constitutes a major milestone or change in a person's life
Rites of passage celebrate the social movement of individuals into and out of groups or into or out of statuses of critical importance to the individual and to the community. Reproduction, the achievement of manhood and womanhood, marriage, and death are the principal worldwide occasions for rites of passage.—
Marvin Harris
Marvin HarrisFor them the two years of missionary work, with the rigorous bootcamp-style training preceding it, is a rite of passage between graduation and marriage, adolescence and adult life.—Malise Ruthven
Malise RuthvenToday, when each year American society becomes more complex, a veritable tapestry of nationalities, the strongest of our common threads may well be the rites of passage all immigrants face.—Harold Holzer
Harold HolzerThe author, grandson of the poet Allen Tate, dropped out of Sewanee University after going through the by-now familiar 1960's rite of passage of drugs, sex, and antiwar demonstrations …—Caroline Seebohm
compare initiation rite
Caroline SeebohmExamples of rite of passage in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Staying at the Raffles continues to be a rite of passage for travelers looking for old-world glamour and elegance.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 23 Dec. 2025
David Adelman’s coaching rite of passage wasn’t quite enough to spark an improbable Nuggets comeback.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Dec. 2025
Opening a first savings or checking account with birthday money or a first paycheck is a rite of passage for many Americans, but millions of adults are just now doing that or are learning how to use their accounts to improve their finances, banking experts say.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2025
By what the depictions reveal, however, this rite of passage most likely occurred between one and four years old.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rite of passage
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Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 23 Dec. 2025
David Adelman’s coaching rite of passage wasn’t quite enough to spark an improbable Nuggets comeback.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Dec. 2025
Opening a first savings or checking account with birthday money or a first paycheck is a rite of passage for many Americans, but millions of adults are just now doing that or are learning how to use their accounts to improve their finances, banking experts say.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2025
By what the depictions reveal, however, this rite of passage most likely occurred between one and four years old.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rite of passage
Cite this Entry
“Rite of passage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rite%20of%20passage. Accessed 1 Jan. 2026.
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