pass off

as in to wish
to offer (something fake, useless, or inferior) as genuine, useful, or valuable the con man tried to pass off a piece of blue glass as a sapphire

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of pass off Then Rantanen made a slick bank pass off the boards to Mason Marchment, which started a rush the other way. Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2025 Trump pointed to a situation in which Vice President Vance runs for and wins the White House and passes off the job to him, even though that is expressly prohibited by the 12th Amendment. Al Weaver, The Hill, 31 Mar. 2025 Ostensibly, tariffs raise prices for the end consumer, as companies often pass off the additional costs to customers. Brett F. Braley-Palko, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025 But do not pass off all the responsibility to a blue bin. Allure Editors, Allure, 22 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pass off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pass off
Verb
  • While entry is free, anyone who wishes to camp or go off-roading or ATVing in the area will need to pay $5 per day or get a $30 season pass.
    Lydia Mansel, Southern Living, 7 June 2025
  • Up against the third-best team from Morocco last season, Wydad AC, and United Arab Emirates’ fifth-strongest force for the same campaign, Al Ain, there are plenty of Davids for Goliath fans to wish ill upon.
    Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 7 June 2025
Verb
  • But so far, Trump has taken no action, and Russia continued to inflict pain on Ukraine as well.
    Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 2 June 2025
  • Nothing can justify the number of civilian casualties (tens of thousands of women and children) inflicted by Israel in Gaza in the last two years.
    Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
Verb
  • Both armies have a small industry devoted to ‘hacking’ the drones, modifying the firmware to get around limitations imposed by the makers and prevent them from being tracked.
    David Hambling, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
  • After deliberating for parts of three days during the punishment phase of the trial, some jurors told the Tribune the decision to impose the death penalty had been a difficult one.
    Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025
Verb
  • The unique shape helps keep your palm off the table while offering a spot for your thumb to rest.
    Brenda Stolyar, Wired News, 9 May 2025
  • And there’s an art to delegating, without seemingly palming off work to your team.
    Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2023
Verb
  • Not only does Israel not have spare luxury jets lying around to fob off on the American president, but the country took nine years to retrofit and launch its own version of Air Force One, and the process was a national fiasco.
    Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 22 May 2025
  • But despite previous transparency around the cost-cutting measures, employees inquiring about how the budget cuts have impacted their performance review will now be fobbed off.
    Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2023
Verb
  • One of the others mimed palming the girl’s rear while the third snapped a photo.
    Dan Greene, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
  • With his feet still inside the penalty area, but his right arm extended beyond its edge, Henderson took the ball almost off Haaland’s foot and palmed it away from his goal, towards the touchline.
    Matt Pyzdrowski, New York Times, 18 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pass off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pass%20off. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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