as in palming off
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 passing off
But the overall reality is simple, lying in the hands of the head man still pulling the strings despite passing off the play-calling reins.
—
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
Ocean carriers are reacting in kind, passing off the war-risk premiums to their customers.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 2 Mar. 2026
Gimbel attributed the practice of AI washing to companies passing off diminished margins and revenue from a failure to effectively navigate cautious consumers and geopolitical tensions to AI.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
Williams and Storrie, both in official white, pink and yellow fits, had their own moment as torchbearers, with Williams passing off the flame to Storrie.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 25 Jan. 2026
In the video, Prince Louis, the youngest son of Prince William and Princess Kate, can be seen holding the toy, before passing off the beaver masquerading as Santa Claus to his father.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Dec. 2025
One tactic smugglers use is passing off African greys as species that can still be legally exported, such as green and red-fronted parrots.
—Rene Ebersole, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 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
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
Ocean carriers are reacting in kind, passing off the war-risk premiums to their customers.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 2 Mar. 2026
Gimbel attributed the practice of AI washing to companies passing off diminished margins and revenue from a failure to effectively navigate cautious consumers and geopolitical tensions to AI.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
Williams and Storrie, both in official white, pink and yellow fits, had their own moment as torchbearers, with Williams passing off the flame to Storrie.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 25 Jan. 2026
In the video, Prince Louis, the youngest son of Prince William and Princess Kate, can be seen holding the toy, before passing off the beaver masquerading as Santa Claus to his father.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Dec. 2025
One tactic smugglers use is passing off African greys as species that can still be legally exported, such as green and red-fronted parrots.
—Rene Ebersole, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passing off
Verb
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Amazon customers wishing to make a return start the process online.—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
26 Mar. 2026
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For voters wishing to participate in the special election, the last day to register is Monday, April 20, 2026.—
CBS News Atlanta Staff,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Traffic through the strait has fallen by 90% since the start of the Iran war, sending global oil prices skyrocketing and inflicting alarming shortages on the Asian nations that get their oil from Persian Gulf countries via the strait.—
David McHugh,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
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The regime has proved more resilient and more capable of inflicting sustained damage on the region than the president expected.—
Thomas Wright,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The city agreed, reducing maximum e-bike speeds to 15 mph on city trails, prohibiting e-bikes on sidewalks and imposing penalties.—
Sarah Raza,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
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But Trump’s election proved that a sizable contingent of the population had no problem imposing their values on others—and even hoped that the government might do so for them.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Passing off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passing%20off. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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