equivocate

American  

[ih-kwiv-uh-kayt] / ɪˈkwɪv əˌkeɪt /

verb (used without object)

• equivocates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• equivocated,
  past participle,  past
• equivocating
  present participle

1. to use ambiguous or unclear expressions, usually to avoid commitment or in order to mislead; prevaricate or hedge.

   When asked directly for his position on disarmament, the candidate only equivocated.

   Synonyms:

   dodge, stall, evade

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equivocate British  

/ ɪˈkwɪvəˌkeɪt /

verb

1. (intr) to use vague or ambiguous language, esp in order to avoid speaking directly or honestly; hedge

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• equivocator
  noun
• outequivocate
  verb (used with object)
• equivocatory
  adjective
• nonequivocating
  adjective
• unequivocating
  adjective
• equivocatingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• equivocating
  present
• equivocated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• equivocate
  simple
• equivocates
  simple
• have equivocated
  perfect
• has equivocated
  perfect
• am equivocating
  progressive
• are equivocating
  progressive
• is equivocating
  progressive
• have been equivocating
  perfect progressive
• has been equivocating
  perfect progressive

Past

• equivocated
  simple
• had equivocated
  perfect
• was equivocating
  progressive
• were equivocating
  progressive
• had been equivocating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will equivocate
  simple
• will have equivocated
  perfect
• will be equivocating
  progressive
• will have been equivocating
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of equivocate

1375–1425; late Middle English < Medieval Latin aequivocātus, past participle of aequivocāre; see equivocal, -ate ¹

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Explanation

When you are unwilling to make a decision and almost intentionally go back and forth between two choices, you are equivocating. When politicians equivocate, they are often afraid of upsetting, and thus alienating, voters with their decisions. A key part of equivocate is the root vocate, which comes from the Latin vocare or "voice." When you give your voice to two opposing views in order to mislead or keep your options open, you're equivocating. Think of the expression, to talk out of both sides of your mouth. If you want to go to a party and your parents keep saying "maybe, it depends," tell them to stop equivocating and give you a straight answer.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

equivocate equivocates equivocated equivocating

Each time, the Fed chose the same posture: assess; equivocate, delay.

From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026

He didn’t equivocate and he did not lie to me to make himself look better.

From Salon ● May 18, 2024

"If he moves toward FX unification that is also a positive. He cannot equivocate."

From Reuters ● Nov. 20, 2023

That’s the guts, to claim the permission to love what you love, to be all of the things you are, without having to equivocate or explain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2023

She refused to equivocate on the issue of school desegregation, and in the Hispanic community she became an important, heroic voice.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

The Book of Esther was so welcome this year because it never equivocates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026

Instead the agency equivocates, emphasizing comfort and stating people should “wear the most protective mask you can that fits well and that you will wear consistently.”

From Scientific American ● Jun. 15, 2022

When Jacob asks her whether she’s staff — because she seems to have access to locked rooms — or a patient, she equivocates: “Not exactly” is her answer to both questions.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 30, 2021

“It equivocates on what life and death means for the purposes of the criminal law,” Professor Cohen said in an email.

From New York Times ● Nov. 8, 2019

“Horatio, you speak like a philosopher who equivocates truth and falsehood,” I said impatiently.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

But he has equivocated over how to get there, sometimes leaning into the threat of force, other times pushing the diplomacy.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2025

Even more striking, though, is that he really equivocated about becoming a citizen years later.

From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2023

“If settled means that it can’t be re-examined, then that’s one thing,” Alito equivocated.

From Washington Post ● May 3, 2022

So he decided to “beat the rush” and seek another round, he said, even though his doctors equivocated about whether it was a wise decision.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 12, 2021

The Jesuits, being outshot in their own bow, complained that he out equivocated their equivocation, having a mental reservation deeper and further than theirs.

From Memoirs of the Court of Queen Elizabeth by Lucy Aikin

Third, political leaders must stop equivocating when antisemitism appears in activist movements, universities or cultural institutions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 14, 2025

Veterans of the space community reflected on the 2017 document, conspicuously silent on budgets and timelines, equivocating between excitement and concern.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2025

Inside, we shared a 90-minute pocket where Muslim joy didn’t need disclaimers or cautious sidestepping and equivocating.

From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2025

About 40% of lawmakers — nearly equally divided between Democrats and Republicans — surveyed said they didn’t intend to assert a special privilege to withhold their emails and other records, without equivocating.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 1, 2024

Equivocā′tion, act of equivocating or using ambiguous words to mislead; Equiv′ocātor.—adj.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various

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