passed off

past tense of pass off
as in inflicted
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 passed off The economic costs were diffuse and passed off to future generations as additions to the national debt. Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2026 Carson had been off the air for about a year at the time, having passed off hosting the late-night program to Jay Leno upon his retirement. Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026 Su-hun passed off the manuscript of Min-hui’s late sister as his latest novel. Kayti Burt, Time, 26 June 2026 Sure enough, a member of the security team snagged the jersey, and it was passed off to a man who admired the jersey sitting in the ride behind Leo. CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026 The original movie was passed off as a documentary on death, but paired mostly staged violence with real footage taken at murder scenes and accident sites, blurring the lines between fiction and reality. Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026 To diVittorio, the minimum lot sizes are too big — and therefore expensive; setbacks from streets are too broad, eating up buildable land; and sidewalk requirements are too costly, getting passed off to consumers. Mark Dee march 12, Idaho Statesman, 12 Mar. 2026 Earlier in the week, an Indian university was reportedly asked to leave the summit after a staff member passed off a robotic dog developed by Chinese company Unitree as one the university had developed. Jared Perlo, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026 And even Lachlan, who shares his father’s paleo-conservative worldview and was therefore granted control of Fox News, ultimately had to accept that much of the Murdoch empire had been sold out from under him when Rupert passed off 20th Century Fox to Disney for $71 billion in 2019. The Week Us, TheWeek, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passed off
Verb
  • The Tehran region director of the NIOPDC also said that damage inflicted on Tehran’s petroleum product storage and distribution infrastructure during the war has created some constraints on fuel distribution.
    Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The war has already battered Iran’s economy and inflicted mounting pain on ordinary people.
    David Rising, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Last year, the Pentagon imposed a strict new press policy that saw nearly all media outlets exit rather than sign an agreement to abide by the policy.
    Garrett Downs, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026
  • And while several Asian countries imposed emergency measures to conserve fuel, a lengthy and catastrophic shortage never materialized.
    Katie Silver, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • In 2024, Aniston and Cox wished Kudrow a happy 61st birthday.
    Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Tom Brady wished his lookalike son Jack a happy 19th birthday in an emotional Instagram post.
    Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 22 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • France took the lead with a solo try from Ntamack, who ran down the short side from about 22-meters out, dummied, palmed off a defender and crashed over in a tackle in the 52nd, and conversion from skipper Maxime Lucu.
    ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026
  • While other firms have trimmed entry-level hiring as AI takes over the admin tasks normally palmed off to younger workers, EY is actively investing in early-career talent.
    Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Your potential clients are terrified of being sold the dream then fobbed off to a junior team member.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Passed off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passed%20off. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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