Synonyms

disavow

American

[dis-uh-vou] / ˌdɪs əˈvaʊ /

verb (used with object)

to disclaim knowledge of, connection with, or responsibility for; disown; repudiate.

He disavowed the remark that had been attributed to him.

Synonyms:

disclaim, reject, deny

disavow British

/ ˌdɪsəˈvaʊ /

verb

(tr) to deny knowledge of, connection with, or responsibility for

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of disavow

1350–1400; Middle English disavouen, desavouen < Anglo-French, Old French desavouer. See dis- ¹, avow

Explanation

To disavow is to deny support for someone or something. You might feel dissed if your biggest donor decides to suddenly disavow you in your run for president. Disavow comes from a combination of the Old French prefix des- meaning "opposite of" and the word avoer meaning to "acknowledge, accept, recognize." When you disavow, you are doing the opposite of acknowledging or accepting. You're rejecting or denying. When you disavow something you've done in the past, you reject or deny what you've done.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Disavow and demonize the kids and act like they are the ones who sullied your campus.

From Washington Post • Nov. 22, 2017

Disavow, dis-a-vow′, v.t. to disclaim knowledge of, sanction of, or connection with: to disown: to deny.—n.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023