PASS OFF

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does pass off mean? 

• PASS OFF (verb)
  The verb PASS OFF has 6 senses:

1. be accepted as something or somebody in a false character or identity

2. disregard

3. cause to be circulated and accepted in a false character or identity

4. disappear gradually

5. come to pass

6. expel (gases or odors)

  Familiarity information: PASS OFF used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PASS OFF (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Be accepted as something or somebody in a false character or identity

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Context example:

She passed off as a Russian agent

Hypernyms (to "pass off" is one way to...):

appear; look; seem (give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect)

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 2

Meaning:

Disregard

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

She passed off the insult

Hypernyms (to "pass off" is one way to...):

brush aside; brush off; discount; dismiss; disregard; ignore; push aside (bar from attention or consideration)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Cause to be circulated and accepted in a false character or identity

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

He passed himself off as a secret agent

Hypernyms (to "pass off" is one way to...):

make pass; pass (cause to pass)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody PP
Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 4

Meaning:

Disappear gradually

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

blow over; evanesce; fade; fleet; pass; pass off

Context example:

The pain eventually passed off

Hypernyms (to "pass off" is one way to...):

disappear; go away; vanish (get lost, as without warning or explanation)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Sense 5

Meaning:

Come to pass

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

come about; fall out; go on; hap; happen; occur; pass; pass off; take place

Context example:

Nothing occurred that seemed important

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pass off"):

come off; go off; go over (happen in a particular manner)

contemporise; contemporize; synchronise; synchronize (happen at the same time)

come around; roll around (happen regularly)

happen; materialise; materialize (come into being; become reality)

bechance; befall; happen (happen, occur, or be the case in the course of events or by chance)

bechance; befall; betide (become of; happen to)

coincide; concur (happen simultaneously)

backfire; backlash; recoil (come back to the originator of an action with an undesired effect)

chance (be the case by chance)

break (happen or take place)

fall; shine; strike (touch or seem as if touching visually or audibly)

turn out (prove to be in the result or end)

recur; repeat (happen or occur again)

develop (be gradually disclosed or unfolded; become manifest)

anticipate (be a forerunner of or occur earlier than)

fall (occur at a specified time or place)

come (come to pass; arrive, as in due course)

go; proceed (follow a certain course)

supervene (take place as an additional or unexpected development)

give (occur)

transpire (come about, happen, or occur)

intervene (occur between other event or between certain points of time)

result (come about or follow as a consequence)

arise; come up (result or issue)

break; develop; recrudesce (happen)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP
It ----s that CLAUSE

Sense 6

Meaning:

Expel (gases or odors)

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

breathe; emit; pass off

Hypernyms (to "pass off" is one way to...):

discharge; eject; exhaust; expel; release (eliminate (a substance))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pass off"):

force out (emit or cause to move with force of effort)

emanate; exhale; give forth (give out (breath or an odor))

radiate (send out real or metaphoric rays)

bubble (form, produce, or emit bubbles)

belch; bubble; burp; eruct (expel gas from the stomach)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

 Context examples 

Everything was very good; we did not spare the wine; and he exerted himself so brilliantly to make the thing pass off well, that there was no pause in our festivity.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)