English · Phrasal verb Attested

pawn off as

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To make a person or thing appear to be different than their true nature in order to fool someone else.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Làm cho một người hoặc thứ gì đó có vẻ khác với bản chất thật để lừa dối người khác

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English

We'll pawn this necklace off as real gold, and make a fortune.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “pawn off as” mean?

To make a person or thing appear to be different than their true nature in order to fool someone else.

Is “pawn off as” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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