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 In an effort to memorialize Bessie, who was a Holocaust survivor, Eleanor begins to pass off some of her late friend's stories as her own. Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 27 Sep. 2025 Eleanor ends up passing off the story of Bessie surviving a concentration camp in Poland as her own. Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 25 Sep. 2025 Throughout the case, Carnival’ attorneys maintained the cruise line wasn’t at fault and passed off blame to Rondon. Vinod Sreeharsha september 22, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2025 Lots of men would have passed off that rod because the fish fought so hard. Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 4 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pass off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pass off
Verb
  • When things later calmed down, Mossack Fonseca did resign from some clients that wished to leave.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
  • According to a Washington Examiner poll of GOP lawmakers, 47% of Republican senators wish to keep the filibuster in place.
    Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Most of the victims had execution-style wounds, some of which were inflicted with two quick shots at very close range, leaving traces of gunpowder on the bodies.
    Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Yet a return to war by the Israeli military would extend the unimaginable suffering inflicted on the people of Gaza, and the condemnation of the international community.
    Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The rub is that mandatory gratuities, the 15% to 20% that restaurants often impose on parties of six people or more, aren’t eligible for the deduction, a disappointment to the restaurant and foodservice industry, which held out hope for a different outcome.
    Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Scenes start, jarringly, without introduction or fanfare, as though we’ve been vaulted into the action; the plot resists all attempts by the viewer to impose any kind of order.
    Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 8 Nov. 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
  • Gross also got Brighton’s second after David de Gea palmed Solly March’s shot from right side of the box back into danger.
    Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Slicing this way makes the lemons easier to palm.
    Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 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 9 Nov. 2025.

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