pass off
make people believe something or someone is different from what they really are
What does "pass sth/sb off as sth" mean?
Examples
- He tried to pass off the cheap wine as an expensive vintage.
- She passed herself off as a qualified nurse for nearly two years.
- How did they manage to pass those imitations off as genuine designer goods?
How to use it
This is the core structure — the thing being misrepresented goes between 'pass' and 'off', and what it is falsely claimed to be follows 'as'.
He tried to pass the cheap jewellery off as a rare antique.
When the object is a pronoun, it must go between 'pass' and 'off' — placing it elsewhere is ungrammatical.
The bag was a clear fake, but she managed to pass it off as genuine.
Reflexive pronouns are common when someone deceives others about their own identity or qualifications.
He passed himself off as an experienced architect for several months.
Verbs of attempt are frequently used because the deception does not always succeed.
They attempted to pass the copied designs off as their own original work.
The passive is possible when the focus is on the thing being misrepresented rather than the person doing the deceiving.
The counterfeit notes were passed off as genuine currency at several local shops.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
Learners often drop 'as' or replace it with 'for', but neither works — the word 'as' is essential to this structure and cannot be swapped out.
When the object is a pronoun, it must go between 'pass' and 'off'. Keeping the pronoun after 'off' is ungrammatical in English.
'Pose as' is only used for people pretending to be someone else and cannot be separated, whereas 'pass off' can refer to both people and objects and must be separated with pronoun objects.
Usage
This phrasal verb is neutral in register and works in both everyday conversation and formal writing such as news reports or legal contexts. It is equally common in British and American English.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 'pass off' always need 'as' — can I leave it out?
For this meaning, yes — 'as' is always required. Saying 'pass it off genuine' or 'pass it off for genuine' are both errors. Without 'as' and the noun phrase that follows it, the meaning becomes incomplete or shifts to a completely different sense of 'pass off'.
Can 'pass off' be used for both people and objects?
Yes, and this is one of its strengths compared to similar expressions. You can pass off a fake product, a piece of artwork, or even a person (including yourself, using a reflexive pronoun like 'himself' or 'herself'). The structure works the same way in all cases: pass X off as Y.
Does 'pass off' mean the deception was successful?
Not necessarily — it describes the attempt to deceive, which may or may not work. That's why you'll often see it paired with verbs like 'try to', 'attempt to', or 'manage to', which signal whether the deception succeeded or failed.
Is 'pass off' used more in British or American English?
It's equally common in both. You'll find it in British and American news stories about fraud and forgery, as well as in everyday conversation on both sides of the Atlantic.
What kinds of things are typically 'passed off as' something else?
Very commonly: counterfeit or fake goods (jewellery, handbags, currency), copied or stolen creative work, forged documents, and people misrepresenting their own identity or professional qualifications. The collocations 'pass off as genuine', 'pass off as authentic', and 'pass off as an expert' are especially frequent.
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