pass off
verb
passed off; passing off; passes off
1
: to make public or offer for sale with intent to deceive
2
: to give a false identity or character to
Examples of pass off in a Sentence
the con man tried to pass off a piece of blue glass as a sapphire
Recent Examples on the Web
If the courts find that Moderna infringed the patents, the company should pay its own penalty, not pass off the cost to hardworking American taxpayers.
—
Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025
The nail in the coffin came in the fourth quarter when Isaak threw a football pass off an inbound to a streaking Conley, who threw down a ferocious one-hand dunk, giving the Wolves a 69-50 lead with just over two minutes remaining.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2025
Sprung by a pass off the wall from the neutral zone by linemate James van Riemsdyk, Johnson tracked the puck down and pulled to a quick stop on the left dot to create a bit of space with Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram.
—Aaron Portzline, The Athletic, 5 Feb. 2025
Wine fraud can take various forms; culprits sometimes combine lesser wines to resemble bottles of top-tier vintages (as Kurniawan did), or sometimes simply pass off a cheaper wine as a more expensive one by faking the labels, cork and foil.
—Chris Hall, WIRED, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pass off
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Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025
The nail in the coffin came in the fourth quarter when Isaak threw a football pass off an inbound to a streaking Conley, who threw down a ferocious one-hand dunk, giving the Wolves a 69-50 lead with just over two minutes remaining.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2025
Sprung by a pass off the wall from the neutral zone by linemate James van Riemsdyk, Johnson tracked the puck down and pulled to a quick stop on the left dot to create a bit of space with Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram.
—Aaron Portzline, The Athletic, 5 Feb. 2025
Wine fraud can take various forms; culprits sometimes combine lesser wines to resemble bottles of top-tier vintages (as Kurniawan did), or sometimes simply pass off a cheaper wine as a more expensive one by faking the labels, cork and foil.
—Chris Hall, WIRED, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pass off
Cite this Entry
“Pass off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pass%20off. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
pass off
transitive verb1
: to make public or offer for sale (goods or services) with intent to deceive : palm off
passing his product off as that of the plaintiff's—W. L. Prosser and W. P. Keeton
see also unfair competition
W. L. Prosser and W. P. Keeton2
: to give a false identity or character to
they created the documents on the day of the trial and passed them off as being made earlier
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