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

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 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

Somehow, Moss still managed to sling a pass off his back foot before all three came crashing down on him.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2024

The words of the revolution and our Constitution, which guaranteed our rights, were not set in stone and did not pass off a flawed culture as a perfect one.

From Salon • Jun. 20, 2024

Townsfolk regularly tried to pass off halfdead or gingered up nags to us, knowing that by the time we discovered our mistakes we’d be miles and days away.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss