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
For decades, a summer job served as a rite of passage, with 55% of teenagers working or job hunting in May 1979.
—Paul Davidson, USA Today, 2 July 2025
From the tradition's inception in 1938, spring break has grown into a sort of rite of passage for those seeking higher education.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Brown County's fall colors from Bean Blossom Overlook A day trip to scenic Brown County is a fall rite of passage for many Hoosiers.
—Eric Larsen, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
However, the inhabitants of the island must always be prepared for a breach by the infected, so in a rite of passage, fathers take their pre-teen sons across the causeway to the mainland.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for rite of passage
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Paul Davidson, USA Today, 2 July 2025
From the tradition's inception in 1938, spring break has grown into a sort of rite of passage for those seeking higher education.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Brown County's fall colors from Bean Blossom Overlook A day trip to scenic Brown County is a fall rite of passage for many Hoosiers.
—Eric Larsen, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
However, the inhabitants of the island must always be prepared for a breach by the infected, so in a rite of passage, fathers take their pre-teen sons across the causeway to the mainland.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 21 June 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 21 Jul. 2025.
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