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

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He’s known as a critic of big tech companies, writing a chapter of the controversial Project 2025 agenda—which Trump has broadly disavowed—that argued the FCC should narrow the immunity enjoyed by tech platforms and require companies to be transparent about their content moderation decisions. —

Sara Dorn, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024 The group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which led the offensive that toppled Assad's government, was previously linked to al-Qaida but has in recent years publicly disavowed international terrorism and tried to present a more moderate face. —

Juliana Kim, NPR, 11 Dec. 2024 In an analysis for War on the Rocks, a national security online media outlet, Zelin said HTS disavowed the global pursuit of Islamic rule to focus on controlling local territory and, since its shock offensive, has issued edicts for its soldiers not to harm civilians — in particular minorities. —

Laura Kelly, The Hill, 4 Dec. 2024 Advertisement Throughout his campaign, Trump adamantly disavowed Project 2025, even though its policies overlapped with his and some of its authors worked in his first administration. —

Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 30 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for disavow