rite (redirected from rites of passage)

a rite of passage

an activity or ceremony that shows that someone has reached an important new stage in their life, especially the start of their adult life. There's an element of danger to most adolescent rites of passage, whether they be driving, sex, alcohol or drugs.

See also: passage

rite-of-passage

a rite of passage - an activity or ceremony that shows that someone has reached an important new stage in their life, especially the start of their adult life. This is not merely another dreary rite-of-passage novel.