Meaning
“Pass off as” means to make people believe that someone or something is different from what it really is, usually by deception. It often implies presenting something false as genuine.
Grammar and Usage
- Pattern: pass off A as B
- Used to describe situations where A is falsely represented as B.
- Verb form: transitive phrasal verb.
Examples of structure:
- He tried to pass off the fake painting as an original.
- She passed herself off as a doctor.
Common Phrases
- pass off counterfeit money as real
- pass oneself off as someone else
- pass off fake goods as genuine
Collocations
- pass off + fake, counterfeit, imitation, forged
- pass off + goods, painting, money, product
- pass oneself off as + professional, expert, official, celebrity
Examples
- He tried to pass off a cheap imitation as an expensive brand.
- The thief attempted to pass off the forged signature as authentic.
- She managed to pass herself off as a university student to attend the lecture.
- The company was accused of passing off low-quality goods as premium products.
- He couldn’t pass off his poor excuse as a valid reason.
- They tried to pass off the old photos as new ones.
- The scammer attempted to pass himself off as a government officer.
Synonyms or Related
- Pretend to be
- Impersonate
- Falsify
- Misrepresent
Antonym
- Expose
- Reveal
- Unmask
- Authenticate