disavow

verb

dis·​avow ˌdis-ə-ˈvau̇ 

disavowed; disavowing; disavows

transitive verb

1

: to deny responsibility for : repudiate

disavowed the actions of his subordinates

2

: 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.

Synonyms

• contradict
• deny
• disaffirm
• disallow
• disclaim
• disconfirm
• disown
• gainsay
• negate
• negative
• refute
• reject
• repudiate

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

By Duncan Hosie / Made by History September 18, 2024 9:00 AM EDT In recent weeks, Donald Trump has disavowed authorship of Project 2025, a sweeping playbook to remake the federal government into a stronghold of conservative power. —Duncan Hosie / Made By History, TIME, 18 Sep. 2024

Trump repeatedly has disavowed Project 2025, as recently as Tuesday's debate. —Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 12 Sep. 2024

In contrast, dozens of musical artists have disavowed Trump’s use of their music at rallies. —Mark Clague, The Conversation, 12 Sep. 2024

In withdrawing the United States from the Paris Agreement, under which almost every country had committed to try to limit warming to no more than two degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, Mr. Trump formally disavowed emission reductions as a goal. —Maggie Astor, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English desavowen, from Anglo-French desavouer, from des- dis- + avouer to avow

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

disavow

verb

dis·​avow ˌdis-ə-ˈvau̇ 

: to deny having, knowing, or being responsible for

will disavow any knowledge of your activities

disavowal

-ˈvau̇(-ə)l 

noun