as in to wish
to offer (something fake, useless, or inferior) as genuine, useful, or valuable
people who try to fob off to charities broken-down furniture that is fit only for the junkyard
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Recent Examples of fob off
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
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
Most chose instead to fob off the hard decisions to central bankers.
—William Pesek, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2021
Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 22 May 2025
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
Most chose instead to fob off the hard decisions to central bankers.
—William Pesek, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fob off
Verb
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Godbout’s cousin wanted to create a video compilation made up of various clips from close friends and family wishing her well after the major surgery.—
Emma Moon,
Charlotte Observer,
7 June 2025
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Up against the third-best team from Morocco last season, Wydad AC, and United Arab Emirates’ fifth-strongest force for the same campaign, Al Ain, there are plenty of Davids for Goliath fans to wish ill upon.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
7 June 2025
Verb
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And her play on the other end of the court — swallowing up opponents on defense in the post and passing off mismatches to create kick-out 3-point opportunities — headlined the first win of the Sky season.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
31 May 2025
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That entire scene never happens if Eva can pass off her turn.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But so far, Trump has taken no action, and Russia continued to inflict pain on Ukraine as well.—
Shannon K. Kingston,
ABC News,
2 June 2025
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Nothing can justify the number of civilian casualties (tens of thousands of women and children) inflicted by Israel in Gaza in the last two years.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
Verb
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Now that Trump has sidestepped Congress and claimed the right to impose tariffs at will, Woldenberg is taking on the White House directly.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
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The three executive orders will encourage the Federal Aviation Administration to expedite rules to allow companies to use drones beyond their operators' line of sight, while also imposing restrictions meant to help protect against terrorism, espionage and public safety threats.—
JOSH FUNK,
Arkansas Online,
8 June 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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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
“Fob off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fob%20off. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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