idiom
Pass the buck
PAS thuh BUK
/pæs ðə bʌk/Listen
Hear it in a clear American voice. Slow it down to catch each syllable.
Syllable breakdown
passthebuck
Dictionary meaning
To shift responsibility for a problem or decision to someone else instead of dealing with it oneself.
Examples
- Ministers kept passing the buck to local authorities, and local authorities passed it back.
- When the project failed, every department tried to pass the buck.
Synonyms: shift the blame, dodge responsibility
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