1 C1 idiomatic formal
To cheat or deceive someone, especially by giving them something of lesser value than promised.
"The merchant fubbed off his customers with counterfeit coins."
separable
fub off
C1 formal separable transitive
An archaic or dialectal variant of 'fob off', meaning to cheat, deceive, or dismiss someone with something inferior.
In plain English
To trick someone or give them something worse than what they deserve.
What does "fub off" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 idiomatic formal
To dismiss or put someone off with a poor excuse or evasion.
"He tried to fub off the creditors with vague promises of future payment."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
'Fub' is an old word meaning to cheat or trick; 'off' suggests getting rid of someone.
Actually means
To trick someone or give them something worse than what they deserve.
Usage tip
Extremely rare in modern English; found mostly in historical texts from the 16th–18th centuries. Effectively obsolete. Learners should use 'fob off' instead.
Words that pair with "fub off"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
customer complaint excuse inferior goods promise
How to conjugate "fub off"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
fub off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
fubs off
he/she/it
Past simple
fubed off
yesterday
Past participle
fubed off
have + pp
-ing form
fubing off
continuous
Hear "fub off" in the wild
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Other ways to say "fub off"
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