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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of passed off
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
Perez said at a Sunday night press conference that authorities identified the man via a tip — which the police chief said was passed off to the FBI — but the evidence obtained was ultimately insufficient to keep him.
—Max Rego, The Hill, 17 Dec. 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
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
Perez said at a Sunday night press conference that authorities identified the man via a tip — which the police chief said was passed off to the FBI — but the evidence obtained was ultimately insufficient to keep him.
—Max Rego, The Hill, 17 Dec. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passed off
Verb
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The attacks also inflicted significant damage to civilian areas.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
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Since 2024, a number of lawsuits have alleged that extensive use of the technology has inflicted a range of harms on children and adults alike, fostering delusions and despair for some and leading others to death by suicide and even murder-suicide.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Because the airwaves were public property licensed to private stations, the government imposed conditions to ensure no single political voice monopolized them.—
Jay Caruso,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Feb. 2026
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Rounding to the nearest nickel would not alter the sales price, the amount of tax collected, or any surcharges, assessments or fees imposed on the sale, according to the bill analysis by legislative staffers.—
News Service Of Florida,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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For those who have long wished to see the brutally repressive regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gone, there is hope.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
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But a big part of me watched the six episodes sent to critics and wished Lawrence and Tarses had brought in Ashley Nicole Black to shepherd and run the series.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
Cite this Entry
“Passed off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passed%20off. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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