Pass off
phrasal verb Base: pass off | Past: passed off | Past Participle: passed off | -ing: passing off | 3rd person: passes off
Definition
1. To pretend that someone or something is different from what they really are.
2. If an event passes off in a particular way, it happens and finishes that way.
2. If an event passes off in a particular way, it happens and finishes that way.
Context Alive
The antique dealer smiled as the couple admired the painting. He was trying to pass off a cheap copy as an original worth thousands. They had no idea they were about to pay a fortune for something completely worthless.
Meanings
2 meanings 1 Pretending Something or Someone Is What They're Not (Phrasal Verb) Very Common ▼
This meaning is about making people believe something fake is real. Imagine someone at a fancy party who doesn’t belong there — they dress up, act confident, and pass themselves off as an invited guest, hoping nobody asks questions. This is presenting a false version of reality. You might pass off a cheap bag as a designer one, or someone could pass themselves off as an expert when they know very little. Or picture a street vendor trying to pass off fake watches as the real thing to unsuspecting tourists. The word carries a sense of deliberate trickery. ✏️ The structure is usually “pass something off as something” or “pass yourself off as someone” — the “as” part is essential.
Vivid ExampleThe new intern wanted to impress everyone at the meeting. He tried to pass off someone else’s idea as his own during the presentation. His manager recognized it immediately and called him out in front of the whole team.
2 An Event Happening in a Particular Way (Phrasal Verb) Common ▼
This meaning is about how an event goes from start to finish. You know when there’s a big protest planned and everyone is nervous about what might happen? If nothing bad occurs, people say “it passed off peacefully.” This is describing the way an event unfolds and ends. You might hear “the ceremony passed off without any problems” or “the wedding passed off smoothly despite the rain.” Or think about a school trip where teachers were worried, but everything passed off well and the kids had a great time. The word suggests relief that things went a certain way. ✏️ This meaning is mostly used in British English — you’ll hear it often in UK news reports about public events.
Vivid ExampleThe organizers had been stressed for weeks about the outdoor festival. Thankfully, the whole event passed off without a single issue. The crowds were well-behaved and even the weather cooperated perfectly.
Examples from the Street
“He tried to pass off a fake watch as a Rolex.”
He tried to make people believe a cheap watch was an expensive one
“The meeting was tense, but it passed off without any real problems.”
The meeting happened and ended without anything going seriously wrong
“She passed off someone else’s idea as her own in the presentation.”
She pretended another person’s idea belonged to her
Common Patterns
pass something off as something → make people believe something fake or inferior is genuine or better
pass oneself off as → pretend to be someone or something you’re not
try/attempt to pass off → make an effort to deceive people into believing something false
pass off someone’s work/idea as your own → claim credit for something another person created
easily passed off as → something that can convincingly look like something else
pass off smoothly/peacefully/well → an event happens and finishes without problems
pass off without incident/trouble → an event finishes with no disruptions or difficulties
the event/ceremony/protest passed off → the occasion took place and ended (neutral or positive outcome)
Collocations
2 collocationspass off as
present something as being something it's not
pass it off
dismiss something as unimportant
Example Sentences
12 examples
1
The restaurant was passing off frozen supermarket meals as freshly cooked food.
The restaurant was making customers believe that cheap ready-made dishes from a shop were prepared from scratch in the kitchen.
2
He managed to pass himself off as a doctor for three months before anyone checked his qualifications.
He successfully pretended to be a medical professional for a quarter of a year before somebody verified his credentials.
3
You can’t just pass off a Wikipedia article as your own research — the teacher will notice.
You can’t simply submit an online encyclopedia entry and claim you wrote it yourself — the instructor will spot it.
4
The painting was so good it could easily be passed off as an original Monet.
The artwork was so convincing it could comfortably fool people into thinking it was a genuine piece by the famous French artist.
5
She tried to pass off her lateness as a traffic problem, but we all knew she’d overslept.
She attempted to make us believe heavy roads were the reason she arrived late, but everyone knew she’d stayed in bed too long.
6
The demonstration passed off peacefully, with no arrests or violence.
The public march took place and ended calmly, with nobody being detained or hurt.
7
Despite everyone’s worries, the wedding passed off without incident.
Even though people had been anxious, the ceremony happened and finished with no problems at all.
8
He passed off cheap wine as an expensive vintage at the dinner party.
He tricked his guests into thinking a low-quality bottle was a high-end, aged selection at the evening gathering.
9
The festival passed off smoothly despite the terrible weather forecast.
The outdoor celebration went ahead and finished without any hitches, even though the predicted conditions had been awful.
10
They tried to pass off the copy as an authentic designer handbag, but the stitching gave it away.
They attempted to convince the buyer that the imitation was a genuine luxury bag, but the poor needlework revealed the truth.
Learner Examples
★
Some students try to pass off AI-generated essays as their own work, but experienced teachers can usually tell the difference.
Certain learners attempt to submit computer-written compositions and claim they wrote them personally, but skilled instructors can generally spot this.
★
The school play passed off smoothly, and the students were proud of what they’d achieved on stage.
The end-of-term performance went ahead and finished without any problems, and the young performers felt a real sense of accomplishment.
Phrasal Verbs & Idioms
3 items
Phrasal Verbspass on — transfer to someone else
He passed on the message to the rest of the team.
pass up — miss an opportunity
She passed up the chance to study abroad that year.
palm off — give something unwanted to someone
The seller tried to palm off a broken phone on me.
Synonyms & Antonyms
5 items
Synonymspresent as
make something seem like
disguise as
pretend to be
go smoothly
happen without problems
fake
pretend something is real
Antonymsreveal
show the truth