fob off
Britishverb
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to appease or trick (a person) with lies or excuses
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to dispose of (goods) by trickery
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Sell or dispose of goods by fraud or deception, as in They tried to fob off the zircon as a diamond . [c. 1600]
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Put off or appease by deceitful means, as in We needed her help but were fobbed off by promises . [c. 1600]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When the nurses raised their concerns, they "genuinely felt they were not being taken seriously" and were "being in essence fobbed off by senior management and seen as trouble-makers", the panel said.
From BBC
It heard he should have been identified as a threat and action taken sooner after he was reported as suspicious by a member of the public, who was "fobbed off".
From BBC
"I was absolutely gutted and every phone call I made to the Bournemouth office, I got fobbed off."
From BBC
Ms Mannings reflected on how people often ask "are you OK?" - but it's a vague question, easy to "fob off".
From BBC
"Too much of my job really is taken up advising victims who feel fobbed off by the police when they report coercive control," she said.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
