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Synonyms

pass for

Idioms  
  1. Be accepted as or believed to be, usually something that is not so. For example, Jean is 23 but could pass for a teenager, or They thought that copy would pass for an original. [Late 1500s]


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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With a population of about 2,400, it could pass for any number of prairie towns: modest houses and churches, mostly boarded-up storefronts, and a grain elevator towering above everything.

From Slate Sep. 17, 2026

Then he didn’t miss a single pass for another two quarters.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 5, 2026

But these wider problems of the entire game are not an excuse for an England team who, frankly, would be given a pass for endless hours after midnight if they were winning.

From BBC Aug. 13, 2026

I was raised near the shore of Chicago’s slice of Lake Michigan, a body of water wide and blue enough to pass for the sea.

From Salon Jul. 22, 2026

Work was busy with people lining up to save money on Halloween crap, five-pounder sacks of Three Musketeers, pumpkin lanterns big enough to pass for parade floats.

From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin

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