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to pass off

to pass off

5 4.1
To treat criticism or an insult as not important
  • phrasal verb
  • /pæs ɔf/
: restar importancia a
  • "How is she?" He attempted to pass it off as a joke.

I tried to just pass it off like that wasn't bad, but that's not a great smell.

Examples

  • You might want to look at Dobson's entire statement before you pass it off as a political expediency.

    Blog text (32)

  • Sam said some hateful things then, and Dean passed it off.

    Blog text (30)

  • Tonight she was drunk enough that she passed it off with a solemn shake of her head.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Carl passed off the compliment and continued to listen.

    Blog text (8)

  • Do not pass off your playing the lottery and losing as something worthy of emulation.

    Blog text (11)

  • "Ian spoke with the cocky grin that allowed him to say terrible things and pass them off as jokes."

    Fiction book (1996)

  • He tries to pass it all off with a calm demeanor, but anyone can see that he is totally freaked.

    Blog text (7)

  • Europeans are rightly skeptical of their leaders and are as likely to reject any attempt to pass off the hard decisions that have to be taken as their own making or choice.

    Blog text (18)

  • I wasn't passing it off as political expediency—in fact, I was saying it's exactly the opposite.

    Blog text (32)

  • She tried to pass off the harsh criticism as a misunderstanding.

Synonyms

to ignore
vsto pass off
∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

is different by omitting response rather than treating criticism as unimportant verbally
to dismiss as
vsto pass off
73 4.6

To say someone or something is not worth taking seriously without careful thought

instead stresses making criticism seem unimportant rather than assigning a negative label
to downplay
vsto pass off
62 5.3

Show something as less important or serious than it is

applies that downplaying mainly to criticism or insulting remarks
to belittle
vsto pass off
52 5.0

To make someone or something seem not important

focuses instead on downplaying criticism or insult rather than general disparagement
to take lightly
vsto pass off
50 4.2

To treat something as not important or serious

is used mainly when dismissing criticism or insults rather than all matters
to shrug off
vsto pass off
32 3.9

Treat something as unimportant and ignore it

treats criticism specifically as unimportant rather than ignoring personal impact
to pass over
vsto pass off
30 4.1

To ignore someone or something on purpose

focuses on omission rather than actively treating criticism as unimportant
to brush off
vsto pass off
  • Informal
29 3.9

To ignore what someone says or feels as unimportant

focuses on downplaying criticism or insult rather than general casual ignoring
to make a mockery of
vsto pass off
26 6.7

To treat something as silly and show no respect

shares ridicule but is less about shrugging off criticism and more about contempt
to play down
vsto pass off
22 4.3

To make something seem less important than it really is

targets criticism specifically as not worth serious attention rather than general minimising
to laugh off
vsto pass off
  • Informal
21 4.2

Treat a problem or criticism as not important by joking about it

does the same but applies more to criticism or insult rather than any problem
to trifle
vsto pass off
17 7.3

To treat someone or something without proper respect

focuses that lack of seriousness specifically on handling criticism or insult
to brush aside
vsto pass off
11 4.5

Ignore a person or thing because you think they are not important

is used especially for treating criticism or insult as not serious
to laugh it off
vsto pass off
  • Informal
10 4.2

To make a joke about something embarrassing to show it is not important

is similar but centers on treating criticism or insult as not worth concern
to pooh-pooh
vsto pass off
8 9.5

To treat an idea or opinion as unimportant and not worth taking seriously

is similar but focuses on marking criticism as not serious rather than contempt
to sweep aside
vsto pass off
5 4.7

To ignore an opinion or worry as unimportant

is narrower, aimed at treating criticism or insult as unimportant
to wave off
vsto pass off
  • Informal
4 5.9

Treat something as unimportant and ignore it

applies this quick dismissal specifically to criticism or insulting remarks
to derogate
vsto pass off
1 8.4

Say or do things that make someone seem less respected

is similar but emphasizes active denigration rather than light dismissal of criticism
to slur over
vsto pass off
1 7.9

To deal with a subject quickly and without enough detail

is similar but key specifically means dismissing criticism as unimportant

Antonyms

to take seriously
682 3.1

Think something is important and pay attention to it

to acknowledge
58 3.9

To show that you have noticed someone or something

How Serious

to address
∞ 3.6
to dismiss
296 3.0
to pass off
5 4.1
to brush off
  • Informal
29 3.9
to laugh off
  • Informal
21 4.2

Surface Forms

pass off infinitive
passed off past
passed off past participle
passing off present participle
passes off third person singular

Morphology

pass + off

The particle verb 'pass off' conveys a sense of moving something 'off' or away from importance, which gives learners a partial clue from the constituents ('pass' = move/transfer, 'off' = away). However, the specific pragmatic sense of treating something as unimportant or presenting it falsely is idiomatic and not fully predictable from the literal meanings, so a B1 learner who only knows the base words may not reliably infer the exact meaning.

Etymology

Pass off paints the picture of moving a remark to one side as if it does not matter, like brushing it away. So it means 'to treat something, such as criticism, as unimportant'.