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
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
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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Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz got right to work during the offseason, not wishing to wait until the last minute to begin signing free agents.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Iranian authorities have to give explicit approval to foreign media organizations wishing to report outside Tehran.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Years before the building even took shape, the dialogue scripted a narrative where those suggesting teardowns were inflicting some cancer upon the urban landscape.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
6 Mar. 2026
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In past escalations and cross-border exchanges of fire, Pakistan and Afghanistan have both repeatedly claimed to inflicting heavy losses on the other side.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Republicans changed Medi-Cal eligibility — which includes imposing work requirements on many recipients — in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to an extent the Legislative Analyst’s Office says will kick millions of people off the insurance roles.—
Andrew Graham
March 9,
Sacbee.com,
10 Mar. 2026
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The tournament even promotes itself with that slogan, including an imposing overhead sign in the center of the venue grounds.—
Douglas Robson,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Passing off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passing%20off. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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