passenger

noun

pas·​sen·​ger ˈpa-sᵊn-jər How to pronounce passenger (audio)
Synonyms of passengernext
often attributive
1
: wayfarer
2
: a traveler in a public or private conveyance

Examples of passenger in a Sentence

There were two passengers in the car in addition to the driver. There's no room for passengers on this project; everybody must do his share of the work.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Spain's rail system operator Adif said the crash occurred Wednesday morning in the central province of Toledo, involving two high-speed trains carrying hundreds of passengers and heading south in the same direction from Madrid to Seville. — Joseph Wilson, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026 More than 500 passengers were on board the two trains, El Pais said. — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2026 Dante Milne, 25, allegedly sent the threatening message Saturday while aboard United Airlines Flight 1681, a Boeing 737 carrying 150 passengers and six crew members from Las Vegas to Newark, New Jersey. — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026 None of the 206 passengers aboard the train was injured, according to regional emergency services. — ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for passenger

Word History

Etymology

Middle English passager, from Anglo-French, from passage path, way, passage, from passer

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of passenger was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing passenger

Browse Nearby Words

passemezzo
passenger
passenger car
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Passenger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/passenger. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Kids Definition

passenger

noun
pas·​sen·​ger ˈpas-ᵊn-jər How to pronounce passenger (audio)
: a person riding in or on a vehicle

More from Merriam-Webster on passenger

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for passenger

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