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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Two people said those affected do not wish to be named in the final report.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
12 July 2025
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If either of Burnett’s sons wishes to serve, they should absolutely be encouraged to run.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
12 July 2025
Verb
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By pressing Kenyon into the hot pavement, officers violated his civil rights by utilizing excessive force and intentionally inflicting emotional distress, the lawsuit stated.—
Perry Vandell,
AZCentral.com,
9 July 2025
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And while inflicting these massive losses, the oil and gas industry has been pocketing huge profits, more than $1 trillion in the past decade alone.—
Jerry McNerney,
Mercury News,
9 July 2025
Verb
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For months, Trump had threatened, but held off on, imposing new sanctions against Russia's oil industry.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
14 July 2025
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Several communities — including Highland Park, Schaumburg, Glen Ellyn and Lombard — have recently imposed age limits on riders, while Burr Ridge has banned e-scooters from its streets.—
Paulina Czupryna,
Chicago Tribune,
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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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
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But despite previous transparency around the cost-cutting measures, employees inquiring about how the budget cuts have impacted their performance review will now be fobbed off.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
29 Aug. 2023
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 19 Jul. 2025.
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