disavow

verb

dis·avow ˌdis-ə-ˈvau̇

disavowed; disavowing; disavows

Synonyms of disavow

transitive verb

: to deny responsibility for : repudiate

disavowed the actions of his subordinates

: to refuse to acknowledge or accept : disclaim

party leaders disavowed him

… have publicly disavowed any claim on the Graceland estate.—Dan Chu

disavowable

ˌdis-ə-ˈvau̇-ə-bəl

adjective

disavowal

ˌdis-ə-ˈvau̇(-ə)l

noun

Did you know?

When is a vow not a vow? When it has been disavowed, for one. Let’s say you make a solemn pledge to eat green vegetables every day of the week and twice on Sundays. If a few months down the cruciferous road you decide such a diet is for the rabbits, you might disavow (that is, repudiate or deny responsibility for) your earlier vow. Or perhaps you stick to it, going so far as to eat nothing but brassicas 24/7. Well, in that case, your local chapter of the Carnivore’s Club might illustrate another meaning of disavow by disavowing you (refusing to acknowledge or accept you) as a member any longer. Now when is a vow not avow? You might be surprised to learn that vow and avow/disavow are not related. Though all three words came to English from Latin via Anglo-French, they have distinct roots: vow comes from the Latin verb vovēre, meaning “to vow,” while avow and disavow trace back to the verb advocare, meaning “to summon.” We stand by it: there’s no denying that disavow has history.

Examples of disavow in a Sentence

He disavowed the actions of his subordinates. She now seems to be trying to disavow her earlier statements.

Recent Examples on the Web

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In the meantime, neither Lamont nor the legislative leadership have disavowed the deal that would put Fonfara on PURA. —Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 19 Mar. 2025 The original guidance, articulated in Interpretive Letter 1170 in July 2020, was never withdrawn, but for almost five years it was practically disavowed. —Gene A. Grant Ii, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025 But the corrections officers union, which has not sanctioned the strike and has been urging officers to go back to work, disavowed the vote. —Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2025 Trump disavowed Project 2025 while campaigning, but his transition team heavily relied on it to staff his administration. —Kevin Collier, NBC News, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for disavow