How do you say “Pass the buck” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is pasarle la responsabilidad a otro, which literally means “to pass the responsibility to another person”. English speakers use pass the buck to mean to avoid responsibility by making someone else deal with a problem or decision. Make the avoidance clear; passing responsibility can also describe sharing work fairly. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
pasarle la responsabilidad a otro
/paˈsaɾle la responsaβiliˈðað a ˈotɾo/
- Literal meaning
- “to pass the responsibility to another person”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
91 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
“Pasarle la responsabilidad a otro” names the transfer directly. The sentence needs to show that someone is avoiding a problem, rather than sharing work fairly.
“Pasarse la pelota” suits departments sending an issue back and forth. For blame specifically, “echarle la culpa a otro” is more precise.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in Spanish?
pasarle la pelota a otro
Literally: “to pass the ball to another person”
A casual way to describe handing an unwanted problem to someone else.
eludir la responsabilidad
Literally: “to evade responsibility”
More formal, without requiring a named recipient.
Common translation traps
pasar el dólar
The English “buck” does not refer to money in this idiom.
The notes above explain why these versions do not work in this context in Spanish.
In context
English
Stop passing the buck and solve the problem.
Spanish
Deja de pasarle la responsabilidad a otro y resuelve el problema.
English
The two departments kept passing the buck.
Spanish
Los dos departamentos no paraban de pasarse la pelota.
Related expressions
- What “Pass the buck” means in English
- Throw someone under the bus, Blame or betray someone to protect yourself.
- Face the music, Accept unpleasant consequences for your actions
Last updated 2026-09-16