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

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 Monday’s interview, he tried to pass off this turnabout as obvious, as if he had believed it all along.

From Slate • Nov. 12, 2024

In the process of trying to wash out Ammu’s forbidden kohl, they had smudged it all over their eyes, and on the whole looked like three raccoons trying to pass off as Hindu ladies.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy