as in pretending
to present a false appearance of
in public they pass for being a loving couple, but in reality they are only friends
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passing (for)
Verb
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Parents reported that their children loved playing with the original Nékojita FuFu, pretending to fan their faces and blow-dry their hair.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Jan. 2026 -
How naïve must Trump be to believe that Putin cares about Ukraine’s well-being after invading it, killing thousands of its people, kidnapping tens of thousands of Ukrainian children back to Russia, and continuing to bomb civilian apartment buildings while pretending to negotiate a peace deal?—
Tom Zirpoli,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In recent years Beijing has ramped up its military intimidation of Taiwan, including by simulating blockades.—
Steven Jiang,
CNN Money,
6 Jan. 2026
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Since stem cell models represent a disease’s early stages, simulating development is trickier and more time-consuming.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Ahead of that, the Duke of Sussex will host a one year to go celebration in July 2026—which, assuming their security is sorted, Meghan Markle could also attend.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
12 Jan. 2026
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As previously established, city code permits those, assuming riders aren’t operating them recklessly.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But certain trees are still putting on a show with their beautiful evergreen foliage, raising the question of whether winter watering is necessary.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
12 Jan. 2026
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Yes, even when putting on gloves, hands should be washed first.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Passing (for).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passing%20%28for%29. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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