Phrase guide

en passant

adj · adv · noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌɒ̃ pæˈsɒ̃/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˌɑn pəˈsɑnt/
  • General-American: /ˌɑn pæˈsɑnt/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of a capture, performed by a pawn on an enemy pawn that has just passed over its attack zone.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: board-games, chess, games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

In passing, by the way, incidentally.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adv

Meaning 3

Of a capture of an enemy pawn, by moving one's pawn to the square that the enemy pawn has just passed over.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: board-games, chess, games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A move in which a pawn captures an opposing pawn on the same rank immediately after the latter has moved forward two squares on its first move in the game, as if it had moved forward only one square.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: board-games, chess, games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adverb

Meaning 5

incidentally; in the course of doing something else

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he made this remark in passing

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: in passing

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

(chess) a chess pawn that is moved two squares can be captured by an opponent's pawn commanding the square that was passed

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: capture

History

Etymology

An unadapted borrowing from French en passant.

Across languages

Translations

70 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: en passant — in passing
  • Galician: de paso — in passing
  • German: en passant — in passing
  • Serbo-Croatian: en passant — in passing
  • Spanish: de paso — in passing
  • Arabic: أَخْذٌ بِالتَّجَاوُز (ʔaḵḏun bi-t-tajāwuz) — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Chinese Mandarin: 吃過路兵 /吃过路兵 (chī guòlù bīng) — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Czech: braní mimochodem — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Czech: en passant — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Dutch: en passant — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Estonian: en passant — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Finnish: ohestalyönti — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • French: en passant — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • German: en passant — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Greek: εν διελεύσει (en dieléfsei) — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Greek: αν πασσάν (an passán) — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Hungarian: en passant — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Italian: presa al varco — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Italian: en passant — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Japanese: アンパッサン (anpassan) — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Latvian: sišana garāmejot — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Lithuanian: kirtimas prasilenkiant — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Polish: bicie w przelocie — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Portuguese: en passant — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Russian: взятие на проходе (vzjatije na proxode) — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Serbo-Croatian: en passant — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Serbo-Croatian: an pasan — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Slovak: branie mimochodom — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Slovak: en passant — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Spanish: al paso — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Turkish: geçerken almak — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Ukrainian: взяття на проході (vzjattja na proxodi) — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Ukrainian: бите поле — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Welsh: wrth basio — (chess) captured “in passing” by the other player's pawn
  • Arabic: الأخذ بالتجاوز — chess move
  • Azerbaijani: keçiddə götürmə — chess move
  • Catalan: captura al pas — chess move
  • Chinese Mandarin: 吃過路兵 /吃过路兵 (chī guòlù bīng) — chess move
  • Czech: braní mimochodem — chess move
  • Czech: en passant — chess move
  • Danish: en passant — chess move
  • Dutch: en passant slaan — chess move
  • Esperanto: preterpasa preno — chess move
  • Estonian: en passant — chess move
  • Finnish: ohestalyönti — chess move
  • French: en passant — chess move
  • German: Schlagen en passant — chess move
  • Greek: εν διελεύσει (en dieléfsei) — chess move
  • Hebrew: הכאה דרך הילוכו — chess move
  • Icelandic: framhjáhlaup — chess move
  • Italian: en passant — chess move
  • Japanese: アンパッサン — chess move
  • Korean: 앙파상 (angpasang) — chess move
  • Latin: in praetereundo — chess move
  • Latvian: sišana garāmejot — chess move
  • Marathi: एन पासंट (en pāsaṇṭa) — chess move
  • Persian: آنپاسان — chess move
  • Polish: bicie w przelocie — chess move
  • Russian: взя́тие на прохо́де (vzjátije na proxóde) — chess move
  • Russian: анпасса́н (anpassán) — chess move
  • Russian: энпасса́н (enpassán) — chess move
  • Serbo-Croatian: en passant — chess move
  • Serbo-Croatian: ан пасан — chess move
  • Spanish: al paso — chess move
  • Swedish: en passant — chess move
  • Tamil: போகும்போது பிடித்தல் (pōkumpōtu piṭittal) — chess move
  • Turkish: geçerken almak — chess move
  • Ukrainian: взяття́ на прохо́ді (vzjattjá na proxódi) — chess move
  • Vietnamese: bắt tốt qua đường — chess move
  • Welsh: wrth basio — chess move