pass off
verb
passed off; passing off; passes off
1
: to make public or offer for sale with intent to deceive
2
: to give a false identity or character to
Examples of pass off in a Sentence
the con man tried to pass off a piece of blue glass as a sapphire
Recent Examples on the Web
Sure enough, a member of the security team snagged the jersey, and it was passed off to a man who admired the jersey sitting in the ride behind Leo.
—
CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
The original movie was passed off as a documentary on death, but paired mostly staged violence with real footage taken at murder scenes and accident sites, blurring the lines between fiction and reality.
—Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
Adam Gordon, the book’s protagonist, is always passing off someone else’s language as his own.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
Wembanyama rewarded Bryant on the ensuing play with an alley-oop pass off a pick-and-roll that the Spurs rookie turned into a layup three minutes into the second quarter.
—ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pass off
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CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
The original movie was passed off as a documentary on death, but paired mostly staged violence with real footage taken at murder scenes and accident sites, blurring the lines between fiction and reality.
—Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
Adam Gordon, the book’s protagonist, is always passing off someone else’s language as his own.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
Wembanyama rewarded Bryant on the ensuing play with an alley-oop pass off a pick-and-roll that the Spurs rookie turned into a layup three minutes into the second quarter.
—ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pass off
Cite this Entry
“Pass off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pass%20off. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
pass off
transitive verb1
: to make public or offer for sale (goods or services) with intent to deceive : palm off
passing his product off as that of the plaintiff's—W. L. Prosser and W. P. Keeton
see also unfair competition
W. L. Prosser and W. P. Keeton2
: to give a false identity or character to
they created the documents on the day of the trial and passed them off as being made earlier
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