fob off
verb
fobbed off; fobbing off; fobs off
1
: to put off with a trick, excuse, or inferior substitute
2
: to pass or offer (something spurious) as genuine
3
: to put aside
now fob off what once they would have welcomed eagerly—
Walter Lippmann
Walter LippmannExamples of fob off in a Sentence
people who try to fob off to charities broken-down furniture that is fit only for the junkyard
Recent Examples on the Web
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
Most chose instead to fob off the hard decisions to central bankers.
—William Pesek, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2021
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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
Most chose instead to fob off the hard decisions to central bankers.
—William Pesek, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Fob off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fob%20off. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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