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.
“In December, a massive upside in PPI was driven by a spike in wholesale trade for machinery and equipment, suggesting that wholesalers were likely passing off higher costs along the supply chain,” Reid notes.
From Barron's
Considering the slop he tries to pass off as palatable, this is actually a blessing.
From Salon
Instead, exporters kept their prices the same, passing off the cost of tariffs to any company importing their goods, which in turn responded by increasing the price of those goods to shoppers.
From BBC
Fraudsters could theoretically attempt to pass off a different insect species as one of those four.
From BBC
Or, in his case, passed off like a hot potato to the next school.
From Literature
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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.