pass off

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pass off One moment stood out in particular from Wednesday night’s victory on Long Island: when Pius Suter passed off a clear shot on an empty net to feed Kiefer Sherwood for his second goal of the night. Thomas Drance, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025 Trump pointed to one where Vice President Vance runs for the White House and passes off the job to him. Al Weaver, The Hill, 31 Mar. 2025 Once the victim had been convinced that their relative had been arrested, the call was passed off to another scammer at the call center posing as an attorney representing the elderly victim’s relative. Steve Weisman, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025 The tax will then have to be passed off to the consumer. Hannah Poukish, Sacramento Bee, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pass off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pass off
Verb
  • Pulse Picks Very cool: Madeline Coleman wished F1 a happy 75th birthday by writing about the sport’s original tracks.
    Chris Branch, New York Times, 14 May 2025
  • In April, Bella wished Banuelos a happy birthday on Instagram by sharing a collection of photos and videos of them.
    Hannah Sacks, People.com, 14 May 2025
Verb
  • On August 3, 2014, Daesh launched a devastating attack on Sinjar, inflicting widespread atrocities on the Yazidi community.
    Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
  • If America can mend that contract before Trump and his MAGA movement inflict lasting damage…then there is still hope.
    Nectar Gan, CNN Money, 12 May 2025
Verb
  • That same month, the Trump Administration imposed tariffs of ten per cent on all Chinese imports.
    Oliver Whang, New Yorker, 3 May 2025
  • But with Trump imposing punishing tariffs on all Chinese imports, the millions of Americans who became reliant on those sites could find those cheap goods less affordable.
    Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 3 May 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • And there’s an art to delegating, without seemingly palming off work to your team.
    Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2023
Verb
  • 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
Verb
  • Onana allowed Thiago Almada’s 25th-minute free-kick to go straight in while Rayan Cherki’s equaliser deep into stoppage time at the end of the game came after the goalkeeper palmed Corentin Tolisso’s effort back into his path.
    David Ornstein, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
  • Slicing this way makes the lemons easier to palm.
    Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 27 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pass off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pass%20off. Accessed 19 May. 2025.

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