weasel words
Britishplural noun
Other Word 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.
Rather than make direct claims about cures, supplement promoters resort to vague boasts about their products using what the Canadian researchers identify as weasel words that can foster the impression of efficacy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2025
“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
However, Mr Gove branded the company's comments as "weasel words".
From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2024
Carney owned his actions by saying what he said was “petty, mean and hurtful” rather than indulging in the weasel words of the Johnsonian faux apology.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 27, 2017
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.
