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 While mass luxury may pass off plastic handbags or interior car seats as leather, such compromises cheapen the value perception in the eyes of those who know better. Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025 If Clark does manage to get passes off, USC’s lockdown secondary has the chance to live up to the hype. Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 29 Aug. 2025 Lastly and most crucially, CliffsNotes don’t generate writing that students can pass off as their own. Joelle Renstrom august 28, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025 The indictment also accused him of intentionally submitting checks drawn on insufficient funds and allegedly passing off another person’s Internet Movie Database Page as his own to convince one victim of his industry bona fides. Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pass off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pass off
Verb
  • Hamas fighters who renounce fighting and wish to remain in Gaza will be granted amnesty, while others can take advantage of safe passage to third countries.
    Laura Kelly, The Hill, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Despite his mother’s wish to keep the boy out of the Hollywood spotlight, his resemblance at 16 to his father was such that he was cast as Robert’s younger brother in Thunder Road.
    Greg Evans, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Sealing the deal averted a potential Azeri invasion to secure unfettered access after Azerbaijan’s forces inflicted heavy defeats on Armenia’s army in 2020 and 2023 and pushed 120,000 Armenians out of Nagorno-Karabakh.
    Michele Crestani, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
  • One of the key pieces of evidence during the trial was a 2016 hotel security video of Combs kicking, punching and knocking Ventura to the ground; prosecutors also showed photos of bruising and other injuries that Ventura alleged were inflicted by Combs throughout their decade-long relationship.
    Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, NPR, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Combs begs for mercy Combs addressed the court before Judge Subramanian imposed his sentence, pleading for a second chance.
    Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Judge Arun Subramanian also requested the court impose five years of supervised release and for Diddy to pay a $500,000 fine.
    Tracy Wright , Lauryn Overhultz , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 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
  • 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
  • While attempting to film his daughter's dance, Miguel Angel Michel, 66, couldn't control his feet and eventually fobbed off his phone altogether, earning 4.2 million views on TikTok.
    Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
Verb
  • Slicing this way makes the lemons easier to palm.
    Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The result was the same — chaos in the six-yard box that restricted Altay Bayindir, who palmed the ball straight onto Calafiori’s forehead.
    Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 21 Aug. 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 8 Oct. 2025.

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