passed off

Definition of passed offnext
past tense of pass off
as in inflicted
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 passed off 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 To diVittorio, the minimum lot sizes are too big — and therefore expensive; setbacks from streets are too broad, eating up buildable land; and sidewalk requirements are too costly, getting passed off to consumers. Mark Dee march 12, Idaho Statesman, 12 Mar. 2026 Earlier in the week, an Indian university was reportedly asked to leave the summit after a staff member passed off a robotic dog developed by Chinese company Unitree as one the university had developed. Jared Perlo, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026 And even Lachlan, who shares his father’s paleo-conservative worldview and was therefore granted control of Fox News, ultimately had to accept that much of the Murdoch empire had been sold out from under him when Rupert passed off 20th Century Fox to Disney for $71 billion in 2019. The Week Us, TheWeek, 18 Feb. 2026 The tie ultimately passed off without much incident. Phil Hay, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026 After Wembanyama converted an and-one fast-break lob from Stephon Castle, Mazzulla lifted Walsh and passed off that matchup to Baylor Scheierman. Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 11 Jan. 2026 Winter can be hard, but the belief that everyone is sadder during the season may simply be folklore passed off as fact. Rafaela Jinich, The Atlantic, 1 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passed off
Verb
  • The damage inflicted on the UAE by Iran’s cheap Shahed drones has served as a wake-up call for the small Arab nation, exposing a gap in its air defense network.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 13 May 2026
  • The Americans had inflicted a significant cost on British forces, who suffered more than one hundred officers and a thousand regulars killed or wounded.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
Verb
  • But China sees a transparency issue in the way the rates are imposed, asserting that the carriers are violating filing regulations.
    Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
  • Rwandan President Paul Kagame said US sanctions imposed on his military will not alter Kigali’s stance over eastern DR Congo, dismissing the restrictions as a cost of pursuing national interests.
    Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 15 May 2026
Verb
  • Jordan—who seemed more fish than girl, her bobbed blonde hair tinted green as old pennies—walked with a confidence that Ana wished for her own daughter.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
  • Vitello might have wished that the Giants were playing under collegiate rules Saturday night.
    Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 10 May 2026
Verb
  • 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
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

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Cite this Entry

“Passed off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passed%20off. Accessed 17 May. 2026.

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