passing of days

USAGE SUMMARY

"passing of days" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to convey the idea of time moving forward or the progression of time. An example could be: "With the passing of days, her memories began to fade." Alternative expressions include "passage of time," "flow of time," and "march of days."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

"Timekeeper" is one way of portraying something we all know about time: it is not just a counting system that marks the passing of days.

The New Yorker

It's a song that prescribes time to heal wounds, that recommends change and trust and hard work, as well as the simple passing of days: "And the sun will leave the room/ And leave you to the night," it runs.

The Guardian - Music

With the passing of days, their hopes grow greater to establish the state of "Rafdha" (Shia), which would span from Iran, passing through Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, and extend into the cardboard-ish Gulf kingdoms.

Huffington Post

(4) The journey gave a different, slower pace to the passing of days.

BioMed Research International

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

Toddlers orient themselves to their immediate world, over the passing rhythm of days and nights.

Video Journal of Education and Pedagogy

We don't even consider the passing of the days.

The New York Times

An older man who seemed to be holding back tears lamented the passing of "those days when we could take the train and travel freely from city to city".

The New York Times

Protests are scheduled for Nov. 29 to commemorate the passing of 100 days since the raids that left 1,000 people dead, according to some reports.

Los Angeles Times

Before the change, drivers could only gain more weekly driving hours with the passing of each day (which reduced their 70-hour total by the number of hours driven on the earliest day of the weekly cycle).

Wikipedia

Until recently, the club marked the passing of each day with a cannon blast.

The New Yorker

The passing of Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer.

Forbes

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "passing of days" when you want to create a reflective or atmospheric tone in your writing. It works particularly well in personal essays, novels and descriptive journalism to emphasize the subjective experience of time.

Common error

While often interchangeable, use 'passing' when focusing on the active movement of time occurring right now or the feeling of it moving by. Reserve 'passage' for when you are referring to a completed interval or a more formal measurement of time.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "passing of days" functions as a noun phrase composed of a gerund ('passing') acting as the head, followed by a prepositional phrase ('of days') that specifies the unit of time. In the examples provided by Ludwig, it often serves as the subject of a sentence that marks a change or as the object of a preposition that establishes a timeframe.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

55%

Science

25%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

3%

Reference

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "passing of days" is a versatile and grammatically correct noun phrase used to describe the progression of time. Ludwig AI shows that while it is not the most common way to describe time—averaging fewer exact matches than the more generic "passage of time"—it is a preferred choice for writers seeking a poetic or evocative tone. It appears consistently in high-tier sources like The New Yorker and The New York Times, often used to signify emotional or physical transitions. Whether you are writing a scientific paper about gradual changes or a news article about evolving political positions, this phrase remains an elegant and effective tool for marking the flow of the calendar without sounding overly technical.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

passage of days

Uses 'passage' instead of 'passing', which often sounds slightly more formal or clinical.

passage of time

A more general and common version that refers to time as a whole rather than specific days.

march of days

Adds a sense of inevitability and rhythmic progression to the sequence of days.

succession of days

Emphasizes the order and following of one day after another.

flow of time

Suggests a continuous and smooth movement rather than discrete units like days.

advance of time

Implies forward movement or progression toward a future point.

progression of days

Focuses on the developmental or chronological advancement of the days.

rolling of days

A more poetic or informal way to suggest the cyclical nature of time passing.

ticking away of days

Highlights the finite and measurable aspect of time as it disappears.

lapse of time

Usually refers to an interval of time that has already passed between two events.

FAQs

How do I use "passing of days" in a sentence?

You can use it as a subject or object to describe time moving, such as: "The "passing of days" brought a sense of peace to the village."

What can I say instead of "passing of days"?

Depending on your context, you could use "<a href="/s/passage+of+time" target="_blank" rel="alternative">passage of time", "<a href="/s/march+of+days" target="_blank" rel="alternative">march of days" or "<a href="/s/succession+of+days" target="_blank" rel="alternative">succession of days".

Is "passing of days" grammatically correct?

Yes, it is a standard English noun phrase. Ludwig AI confirms its frequent usage in high-quality publications like The New York Times and The Guardian.

What is the difference between "passing of days" and "passage of days"?

There is very little difference, but "<a href="/s/passage+of+days" target="_blank" rel="alternative">passage of days" often sounds slightly more formal or academic while "passing of days" is often perceived as more literary or emotive.