pass off
Britishverb
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to be or cause to be accepted or circulated in a false character or identity
he passed the fake diamonds off as real
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(intr) to come to a gradual end; disappear
eventually the pain passed off
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to emit (a substance) as a gas or vapour, or (of a substance) to be emitted in this way
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(intr) to take place
the meeting passed off without disturbance
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(tr) to set aside or disregard
I managed to pass off his insult
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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 .
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Be completed or carried out, take place, as in The meeting passed off without incident . [Late 1700s]
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.
When they try to pass off the stupid thing they said as a “joke.”
From Salon • May 20, 2026
“We didn’t pass off the full tariff, and we mitigated wherever we could.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025
While most pass off without any controversy, some are contentious.
From BBC • Jul. 12, 2025
Kelley Warburton scored on a 30-yard pass off a trick play early in the fourth quarter as the Huskies tried to fight back.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 16, 2024
On an early run, Mandela set up Muamer, the new, mustachioed Bosnian forward, with a touch pass off the back of his foot, but Muamer missed the shot.
From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
