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

Sure, it might be annoying that studios are trying to pass off overly enthusiastic five-star Letterboxd reviews as legitimate film criticism in marketing on posters and in trailers.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026

Lehkonen collected the loose puck and took it the length of the ice before deflecting a centering pass off Kempe’s skate and by Forsberg for a short-handed goal, his second score of the series.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026

Just down the street from the shipyard, Groton resident Autumn Gardiner rents an apartment that she’d love to pass off to a new Electric Boat employee after she buys a home.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026

I headed for the cupboard and grabbed a bag of mini rice cakes, an inspired-by-sawdust snack food that my mom tries to pass off as a worthy substitute for chips.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx