pass off
verb
passed off; passing off; passes off
1
: to make public or offer for sale with intent to deceive
2
: to give a false identity or character to
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
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
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
See all Example Sentences for pass off 
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.
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
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
See all Example Sentences for pass off
Dictionary Entries Near pass off
Cite this Entry
“Pass off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pass%20off. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
pass off
transitive verb1
: 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
W. L. Prosser and W. P. Keeton2
: 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share