disavow

[ dis-uh-vou ]

verb (used with object)

1. 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

/ ˌdɪsəˈvaʊ /

verb

1. tr to deny knowledge of, connection with, or responsibility for

Derived Forms

• ˌdisaˈvowal, noun
• ˌdisaˈvower, noun
• ˌdisaˈvowedly, adverb

Other Words From

• disa·vowed·ly adverb
• disa·vower noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of disavow¹

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

Example Sentences

Then she won, and Republicans tried to put a good face on it — even falsely claiming she had disavowed QAnon and suggesting the country should move on.

From Washington Post

We call on leaders from across the political spectrum, including the President of the United States, to disavow false and dangerous narratives, and encourage their supporters to do so as well.

From Washington Blade

Hailed on its launch in 2012 — not long after the Penguin algorithm update — as the search engine’s “best spam reporting tool yet”, disavow links allowed webmasters to instruct Google to ignore all links from certain domains.

From Search Engine Watch

He disavowed the hateful messages attributed to him and said he plans to consult with attorneys about his firing and the social media account.

From Washington Post

By a healthy margin, they approved a measure eliminating the 30-foot coastal height limit in the Midway district – a specific change Faulconer himself disavowed in a 2013 interview with Voice of San Diego.

From Voice of San Diego

Nor will the CIA disavow those controversial efforts entirely.

From The Daily Beast

To disavow those moral responsibilities, our tradition suggests, is to not be truly free.

From The Daily Beast

Rather than today's young women feeling like the heirs to a glorious legacy, they disavow those who came before.

From The Daily Beast

I can completely relate to his struggle of not wanting to disavow his Jewish identity for the sake of his gay identity.

From The Daily Beast

There are some pieces of themselves that politicians simply cannot disavow.

From The Daily Beast

I wish to disavow any compliment I may have appeared to pay that company in my telegram, for I think they did their bare duty.

From Project Gutenberg

I do not altogether disavow the title, but I understand it to mean "inquirer."

From Project Gutenberg

The Prime Minister would never have had the courage to disavow his colleague openly.

From Project Gutenberg

Neither do they disavow what has come to them through immigration and does not originally belong to their own country.

From Project Gutenberg

Berkeley had been unwilling to disavow his loyalty to the Crown in 1652 and he was not prepared to do so now.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• contradict
• disclaim
• disown
• forswear
• impugn
• repudiate