pass off

British  

verb

1. to be or cause to be accepted or circulated in a false character or identity

   he passed the fake diamonds off as real

2. (intr) to come to a gradual end; disappear

   eventually the pain passed off

3. to emit (a substance) as a gas or vapour, or (of a substance) to be emitted in this way

4. (intr) to take place

   the meeting passed off without disturbance

5. (tr) to set aside or disregard

   I managed to pass off his insult

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pass off Idioms  

1. Misrepresent something or someone, as in They tried to pass off that piece of glass as a gemstone , or Bill passed her off as his sister . [Late 1700s] Also see palm off .

2. Be completed or carried out, take place, as in The meeting passed off without incident . [Late 1700s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pass off

Opposing offenses built entire game plans around them, knowing it would often take throwing two guys in their way to give the quarterback a chance of getting a pass off.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

The majority of students — 80% — say they would not use AI to submit classwork to pass off as their own.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026

“We didn’t pass off the full tariff, and we mitigated wherever we could.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025

Dobie also had a hand in Rowe's second-half try before collecting Van der Merwe's pass off the floor to sprint in for a well-deserved hat-trick.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2025

In Cleopatra’s absence, Arsinoe had tried to pass off an imposter as Ptolemy XIII, alive and well and claiming his place on the throne.

From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby