weasel words
Britishplural noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of weasel words
C20: alluding to the weasel's supposed ability to suck an egg out of its shell without seeming to break the shell
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.
"The field is replete with weasel words and unfortunately one of those is consciousness," says Prof Stevan Harnad of Quebec University.
From BBC • Jun. 15, 2024
“The U.S. has limited itself to blatant weasel words claiming that Julian can ‘seek to raise’ the First Amendment if extradited,” his wife, Stella Assange, said.
From Seattle Times • May 19, 2024
This time there must be no weasel words, no back-room deals, no ugly accommodations.
From The Guardian • Dec. 4, 2017
But even as I wrote that sentence, I lost count of all the weasel words and conditional phrases it contains.
From Salon • Sep. 6, 2016
Had Goldstein settled for these weasel words, she would have undermined her analysis before it began.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
