fobbed off

verb

past tense of fob off
as in wished
to offer (something fake, useless, or inferior) as genuine, useful, or valuable people who try to fob off to charities broken-down furniture that is fit only for the junkyard

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fobbed off Your potential clients are terrified of being sold the dream then fobbed off to a junior team member. — Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fobbed off
  1. wished
  2. inflicted
  3. imposed
  4. passed off
  5. palmed off
  6. foisted
Verb
  • The Kremlin said Putin wished Leo good health and a quick recovery.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Boucher said the California couple designated her as their spokesperson and wished to remain anonymous.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of wished
Verb
  • Although Hegseth often seems to enjoy the idea that pain is being inflicted in his name, the mood at the Kabul Stadium was more subdued.
    — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
  • At issue before the court was the question of whether cities and states may sue oil and gas producers for the damages inflicted by climate change.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of inflicted
Verb
  • The ban had been imposed by the central elections committee, a political body dominated by Netanyahu allies, on the basis that the parties supported armed struggle against Israel.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The restrictions, imposed without warning early Thursday, cut the internet data connection when a communication terminal moves faster than 100 mph.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of imposed
Verb
  • Union members and their supporters were dressed colorfully, clad in red or green, and their march through the Brussels city center passed off peacefully.
    — Mark Carlson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Manipulated images of Meloni have repeatedly circulated online in recent years and have at times been passed off as authentic.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of passed off
Verb
  • France took the lead with a solo try from Ntamack, who ran down the short side from about 22-meters out, dummied, palmed off a defender and crashed over in a tackle in the 52nd, and conversion from skipper Maxime Lucu.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026
  • While other firms have trimmed entry-level hiring as AI takes over the admin tasks normally palmed off to younger workers, EY is actively investing in early-career talent.
    — Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026
Definition of palmed off
Verb
  • And a hot young comic, Marshay (Brittney Ayona Clemons, convincing), is being foisted on Varnell to heighten youth appeal.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • For those who don’t know the history of the infamous drug, thalidomide was foisted on an unsuspecting public in the 1950s by the pharmaceutical industry as a mild sedative and later — tragically — to mask nausea in pregnant mothers.
    — Josh Schlossberg, Denver Post, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of foisted

Browse Nearby Words

foamy
fobbed off
fobbing off
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fobbed off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fobbed%20off. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All