palm off

verb

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

Relevance

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 France took the lead with a solo try from Ntamack, who ran down the short side from about 22-meters out, dummied, palmed off a defender and crashed over in a tackle in the 52nd, and conversion from skipper Maxime Lucu. — ABC News, 11 July 2026 Lift your right palm off the ground and cross your torso to tap your left shoulder, then return your right hand to the ground. — Jenessa Connor, Health, 28 May 2026 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 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
  1. wish
  2. pass off
  3. inflict
  4. impose
  5. fob off
  6. palm
Verb
  • Al Pacino was unable to attend the press conference earlier in the day but sent a video message from America wishing the cast and crew well for the premiere.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Vasseur did not wish to discuss the possible final 2026 championship outlook, saying his attention was purely on present performance and taking steps; focus on the process, not the outcome.
    — Luke Smith, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of wish
Verb
  • Up to now, those accused of passing off a computer’s writing as their own have tended to either apologize or deny it.
    — Will Oremus, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026
  • In academia, there is no greater sin than passing off another’s work as one’s own.
    — Roger J. Kreuz, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of pass off
Verb
  • Strong has been charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, disorderly conduct, communicating threats and injury to personal property, police said.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The researchers estimated that 1,589 fragments could inflict damage.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of inflict
Verb
  • When Roebbelen began building a cabin there as a UC Davis student and journeyman carpenter, his father imposed a condition that made the project part construction job, part character test.
    — David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The Louisiana ruling prevents the SEC from imposing its rules — and LSU from keeping those players off the team — but the conference is ready to take that question to court in Alabama, where the league office is located.
    — Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of impose
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of fob off
Verb
  • For the final punchline, Bounou shuffled right, stood upright, and palmed away Crysencio Summerville’s effort.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 7 July 2026
  • Al-Amri, who had a shot denied by Uruguay's Fernando Muslera earlier in the first half, put his squad ahead with a quick tap-in after Muslera palmed away a header.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 15 June 2026
Definition of palm

Browse Nearby Words

palmists
palm off
palms
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Palm off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palm%20off. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of empirical

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All