pass (someone or something) off as
idiom
: to cause people to wrongly believe that someone or something is someone or something else
amateurs passing themselves off as professionals
She passed the poem off as her own.
Examples of pass (someone or something) off as in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Across all versions, changelings could easily pass off as their human counterparts — their true likeness only exposed by way of trickery or beatings.
—
Jessica Wang, EW.com, 7 Sep. 2023
There's a difference between imitating someone’s style for practice or in homage and copying it to pass off as your own.
—Vivian Lam, WIRED, 24 Feb. 2023
Along with fighting academic dishonesty, the tool could be used to detect AI misinformation campaigns or chatbots trying to pass off as human, the company said.
—Peter Weber, The Week, 31 Jan. 2023
Several of the pills were altered to pass off as legitimate oxycodone and Xanax pills, the press release added.
—Gina Martinez, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2022
The series is full of jokes that Will and Grace pass off as a couple and Jack, a theater geek and Will’s close friend, acts as the flamboyant counterpart to Will.
—André-Naquian Wheeler, Vogue, 19 July 2022
Everything that Byju’s has tried to pass off as due process or strategic business moves could ultimately be deemed cost-cutting measures for a company nearing the end of its financial runway.
—Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 1 July 2022
To pass off as tourists, his family brought only bare essentials, stuffing clothes, Bibles and snacks into two 20-inch suitcases and two small backpacks.
—Josh Chin, WSJ, 2 June 2021
In addition to the bridges and tunnels lawmakers will try to get funded in the bill, progressive lawmakers are likely to push for the social programs the White House has tried to pass off as infrastructure.
—Sarah Westwood, Washington Examiner, 20 Apr. 2021
Jessica Wang, EW.com, 7 Sep. 2023
There's a difference between imitating someone’s style for practice or in homage and copying it to pass off as your own.
—Vivian Lam, WIRED, 24 Feb. 2023
Along with fighting academic dishonesty, the tool could be used to detect AI misinformation campaigns or chatbots trying to pass off as human, the company said.
—Peter Weber, The Week, 31 Jan. 2023
Several of the pills were altered to pass off as legitimate oxycodone and Xanax pills, the press release added.
—Gina Martinez, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2022
The series is full of jokes that Will and Grace pass off as a couple and Jack, a theater geek and Will’s close friend, acts as the flamboyant counterpart to Will.
—André-Naquian Wheeler, Vogue, 19 July 2022
Everything that Byju’s has tried to pass off as due process or strategic business moves could ultimately be deemed cost-cutting measures for a company nearing the end of its financial runway.
—Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 1 July 2022
To pass off as tourists, his family brought only bare essentials, stuffing clothes, Bibles and snacks into two 20-inch suitcases and two small backpacks.
—Josh Chin, WSJ, 2 June 2021
In addition to the bridges and tunnels lawmakers will try to get funded in the bill, progressive lawmakers are likely to push for the social programs the White House has tried to pass off as infrastructure.
—Sarah Westwood, Washington Examiner, 20 Apr. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pass (someone or something) off as.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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pass (someone or something) off as
Cite this Entry
“Pass (someone or something) off as.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pass%20%28someone%20or%20something%29%20off%20as. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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