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
That's such a Fringe rite of passage is playing to bad small crowds.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Nov. 2024
But, for a lot of us, that rite of passage never comes.
—Lyndsay C. Green, Detroit Free Press, 31 Oct. 2024
There was a rite of passage for candidates in Nashville's mayoral race last year: sitting down with former Mayor Megan Barry for advice, often on the front porch of her Belmont-Hillsboro neighborhood home.
—Nate Rau, Axios, 28 Oct. 2024
And likes have become a rite of passage, in terms of popularity.
—Jason Parham, WIRED, 18 Oct. 2024
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Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Nov. 2024
But, for a lot of us, that rite of passage never comes.
—Lyndsay C. Green, Detroit Free Press, 31 Oct. 2024
There was a rite of passage for candidates in Nashville's mayoral race last year: sitting down with former Mayor Megan Barry for advice, often on the front porch of her Belmont-Hillsboro neighborhood home.
—Nate Rau, Axios, 28 Oct. 2024
And likes have become a rite of passage, in terms of popularity.
—Jason Parham, WIRED, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rite of passage
Dictionary Entries Near 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 30 Nov. 2024.
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