palm off

Definition of palm offnext
as in to wish
to offer (something fake, useless, or inferior) as genuine, useful, or valuable please stop trying to palm off your leftovers onto me

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 palm off While other firms have trimmed entry-level hiring as AI takes over the admin tasks normally palmed off to younger workers, EY is actively investing in early-career talent. Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026 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 Giannoli’s narrator lays out press performance in Balzacian details that sound absolutely contemporary: News, debate, and ideas had become goods to palm off on subscribers. Armond White, National Review, 10 June 2022 However, in spite of this price increase and attempts to palm off blame, there is hardly any middle-class anger even resembling that which existed during the last years of the UPA. Shoaib Daniyal, Quartz India, 21 Feb. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for palm off
Verb
  • For those who wish to remain and shelter in place, the embassy reminded them to have a supply of food, water, medications and other essential items.
    Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
  • Those who wished to see Garner clad in fishnets and rubber bracelets as the Material Girl will still have a chance.
    Matt Donnelly, Variety, 7 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Adam Gordon, the book’s protagonist, is always passing off someone else’s language as his own.
    Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Stamkos notched his third goal in two games by redirecting Forsberg's pinpoint pass off the right post and in.
    CBS News, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Recent strikes have inflicted significant damage on energy infrastructure in the region, with a recent attack wiping out 17% of output at Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG plants, damage that would take years to recover.
    Anniek Bao, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026
  • This online collection included images of mutilation and tying up women with ropes, two things prosecutors said are consistent with injuries inflicted on Mack and how she was bound, officials said.
    Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Armed groups impose rules, enforce discipline and punish violations with violence.
    Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
  • The growing apathy toward big-screen entertainment was also owed to the patina of all-American wholesomeness that studios imposed on their stables of stars, and the nothing-to-see-here style of movie journalism was wearing thin.
    Joshua John Miller, Vanity Fair, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Whether out of pride, ideological zeal or an instinct to haggle for even the tiniest advantage, Iranian leaders will be tempted to stall — to drag out negotiations, fob off the U.S. with flashy promises and try to trip up their American counterparts in highly technical details.
    Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Your potential clients are terrified of being sold the dream then fobbed off to a junior team member.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Back in the team after injury, Neuer made strong saves in the first half but blundered for Freiburg's second, leaping out of his goal to palm a corner straight to Freiburg striker Lucas Höler for an easy second.
    ABC News, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026
  • The left hand pointing down, palm out, displays the varadamudra (giving gesture, a kind of mudra).
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Palm off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palm%20off. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.

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