disavow

verb

dis·avow ˌdis-ə-ˈvau̇

disavowed; disavowing; disavows

Synonyms of disavow next

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Still others disavow their histories in a bid to seek political power. —

Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2024 Trump has disavowed the 900-page blueprint for reorganizing swaths of politics and society along hard-right lines, despite some of his former aides’ involvement in writing it. —

Alexander Smith, NBC News, 8 Nov. 2024 Yet, any behavioral impacts of these chemicals are summarily disavowed when there is plausible causal relationship that has been well-studied in mammals. —

Saleem H. Ali, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024 Many of his supporters have disavowed the election system — some poll workers are wearing bulletproof vests — and have threatened force to return him to power. —

Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for disavow