pass off

verb

passed off; passing off; passes off

transitive verb

1

: to make public or offer for sale with intent to deceive

2

: to give a false identity or character to

Synonyms

• fob off
• foist
• palm
• palm off
• wish

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

The first-seven-minutes clip though shows some entirely different characters and a man’s desperate attempt to try to pass off the demons pursuing him. —Brian Welk, IndieWire, 4 Nov. 2024

Prescott has been wildly inconsistent tonight but threw the perfect pass off his back foot to find Tolbert on a crossing route. —Andrew Greif, NBC News, 7 Oct. 2024

For example, in-house staff would handle quality control and strategy, making sure that whatever work is passed off to an agency or freelancer(s) aligns with your brand’s long-term goals. —Yates Jarvis, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

Leadership and teams were finger-pointing and passing off blame. —Anne Sugar, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pass off

verb

: to give a false identity to : describe untruthfully

Legal Definition

pass off

transitive verb

1

: 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

2

: 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