as in to wish
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pass off
Offering little or no value, here’s what AI tried to pass off as such – straight from the horse’s mouth – along with comments from yours truly.
—
Eli Amdur, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Scott passed off his drink to pose for a slew of photos that lit up the dark bar area with flash.
—Emily Burns, Footwear News, 9 June 2025
The Trump administration's CIA reported earlier in 2025 that a lab leak was the likely origin of the COVID-19 virus, which had been passed off by media outlets and scientists as a likely conspiracy theory during the early days of the pandemic.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2025
But some upcharge is potentially inevitable and will be passed off as the impact of inflation on project costs.
—Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pass off
Eli Amdur, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Scott passed off his drink to pose for a slew of photos that lit up the dark bar area with flash.
—Emily Burns, Footwear News, 9 June 2025
The Trump administration's CIA reported earlier in 2025 that a lab leak was the likely origin of the COVID-19 virus, which had been passed off by media outlets and scientists as a likely conspiracy theory during the early days of the pandemic.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2025
But some upcharge is potentially inevitable and will be passed off as the impact of inflation on project costs.
—Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pass off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pass off
Verb
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Those wishing to provide monetary support to Heinz's parents, Shane and Amber, can do so through either Venmo or PayPal ([email protected]).—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
26 July 2025
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Alexander Isak wishing to leave Newcastle United is one thing; working out who could afford to buy him is quite another.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
25 July 2025
Verb
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Indeed, Denmark are the side who inflicted the last genuine shock at the European Championship, in 2017.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
22 July 2025
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Retiree pensions continue to inflict great pain on municipal finances, gobbling up more than 20% of general fund dollars in at least a half-dozen Orange County cities.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
18 July 2025
Verb
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Trump hasn’t retreated from imposing all of the tariffs—far from it.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
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This surge follows new state laws imposing harsher penalties for school threats, including felony charges.—
Kelly Puente,
The Tennessean,
14 July 2025
Verb
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The unique shape helps keep your palm off the table while offering a spot for your thumb to rest.—
Brenda Stolyar,
Wired News,
9 May 2025
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And there’s an art to delegating, without seemingly palming off work to your team.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
2 Mar. 2023
Verb
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While attempting to film his daughter's dance, Miguel Angel Michel, 66, couldn't control his feet and eventually fobbed off his phone altogether, earning 4.2 million views on TikTok.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
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Not only does Israel not have spare luxury jets lying around to fob off on the American president, but the country took nine years to retrofit and launch its own version of Air Force One, and the process was a national fiasco.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2025
Verb
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One of the others mimed palming the girl’s rear while the third snapped a photo.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
26 May 2025
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With his feet still inside the penalty area, but his right arm extended beyond its edge, Henderson took the ball almost off Haaland’s foot and palmed it away from his goal, towards the touchline.—
Matt Pyzdrowski,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pass off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pass%20off. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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