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
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Recent Examples of pass off
The film’s last half-hour collapses into an unfunny, extended appearance by that aforementioned legacy artist — the kind of star cameo that The Simpsons often succumbs to these days, passing off a famous person playing themselves as the height of comedy.
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A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024
Shopping secondhand isn’t the same as re-gifting (like passing off last week’s ugly sweater to someone else).
—Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 28 Nov. 2024
Graham Mertz completed 7 of 10 passes off play-action for two touchdowns after throwing off play-action just nine times through the first five games.
—Jesse Temple, The Athletic, 22 Nov. 2024
The Times reports the Trump campaign’s low spending may be by design, as filings show the campaign appears to have passed off many traditional campaign expenses—like payroll and venues for Trump’s campaign rallies—to other groups affiliated with the campaign and RNC.
—Alison Durkee, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pass off 
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024
Shopping secondhand isn’t the same as re-gifting (like passing off last week’s ugly sweater to someone else).
—Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 28 Nov. 2024
Graham Mertz completed 7 of 10 passes off play-action for two touchdowns after throwing off play-action just nine times through the first five games.
—Jesse Temple, The Athletic, 22 Nov. 2024
The Times reports the Trump campaign’s low spending may be by design, as filings show the campaign appears to have passed off many traditional campaign expenses—like payroll and venues for Trump’s campaign rallies—to other groups affiliated with the campaign and RNC.
—Alison Durkee, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pass off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pass off
Verb
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Students who wish to pursue STEM at the highest level should begin strategizing now in order to make the most of the summer months for their college applications.Christopher Rim, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
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Best wishes for a happy, healthy and well-deserved retirement.Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 14 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Hitting their target would push them to inflict extensive suffering on millions of American families.Robert Pearl, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
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Ukrainian defenders are steadfastly holding back the onslaught of the occupiers, inflicting significant losses on them.Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Most economists expect inflation to fall in 2025, though many caution that President-elect Donald Trump's threat to impose sweeping tariffs and deport unauthorized immigrants could cause consumer prices to rise.Anne Marie Lee, CBS News, 31 Dec. 2024
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By Jonathan Samuels published 31 December 2024 The Schloss Roxburghe is an imposing 19th-century country house, once owned by the Duke of Roxburghe, located among the rolling hills and winding rivers of the Scottish Borders.Jonathan Samuels, theweek, 31 Dec. 2024
Verb
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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
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Giannoli’s narrator lays out press performance in Balzacian details that sound absolutely contemporary: News, debate, and ideas had become goods to palm off on subscribers.Armond White, National Review, 10 June 2022
Verb
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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
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Most chose instead to fob off the hard decisions to central bankers.William Pesek, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2021
Verb
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Pick something that looks tasty and slightly intimidating and clumsily palm some chopsticks.Bradley Hohulin, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Sep. 2024
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Even his tattoos are a conspicuous map of his touchstones: a portrait of Stevie Wonder, a hand palming a basketball printed with THE WORLD IS YOURS, an illustration related to the 1976 blaxploitation film The Human Tornado.Connor Garel, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near pass off
Cite this Entry
“Pass off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pass%20off. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.
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