disavow

verb

dis·​avow ˌdis-ə-ˈvau̇ 

disavowed; disavowing; disavows

transitive verb

1

: to deny responsibility for : repudiate

disavowed the actions of his subordinates

2

: to refuse to acknowledge or accept : disclaim

party leaders disavowed him

… have publicly disavowed any claim on the Graceland estate.

—Dan Chu

disavowable

ˌdis-ə-ˈvau̇-ə-bəl 

adjective

disavowal

ˌdis-ə-ˈvau̇(-ə)l 

noun

Did you know?

When is a vow not a vow? When it has been disavowed, for one. Let’s say you make a solemn pledge to eat green vegetables every day of the week and twice on Sundays. If a few months down the cruciferous road you decide such a diet is for the rabbits, you might disavow (that is, repudiate or deny responsibility for) your earlier vow. Or perhaps you stick to it, going so far as to eat nothing but brassicas 24/7. Well, in that case, your local chapter of the Carnivore’s Club might illustrate another meaning of disavow by disavowing you (refusing to acknowledge or accept you) as a member any longer. Now when is a vow not avow? You might be surprised to learn that vow and avow/disavow are not related. Though all three words came to English from Latin via Anglo-French, they have distinct roots: vow comes from the Latin verb vovēre, meaning “to vow,” while avow and disavow trace back to the verb advocare, meaning “to summon.” We stand by it: there’s no denying that disavow has history.

Synonyms of disavow

• deny
• refute
• reject

Examples of disavow in a Sentence

He disavowed the actions of his subordinates.

She now seems to be trying to disavow her earlier statements.

Recent Examples on the Web

The judge was concerned that officials have not disavowed the fund in writing. —Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 12 June 2026

The People's Liberation Army, the military wing of the Chinese Communist Party, claimed the structure was not military, but Chinese officials also did not fully disavow that some element within the structure could be used by the PLA, according to the officials. —James Laporta, CBS News, 11 June 2026

When the British civil case goes to trial, one of the witnesses will be Lauren Southern, the former far-right activist, who has since disavowed many of her past views. —Heidi Blake, New Yorker, 8 June 2026

The Washington County Board on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution disavowing the past practice of racial covenants and informing the public of their existence in the county. —Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 2 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English desavowen, from Anglo-French desavouer, from des- dis- + avouer to avow

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for disavow

• anyhow
• carabao
• disallow
• allow
• avow
• chiao
• endow
• eyebrow
• highbrow
• lanao
• meow
• powwow

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Kids Definition

disavow

verb

dis·​avow ˌdis-ə-ˈvau̇ 

: to deny having, knowing, or being responsible for

will disavow any knowledge of your activities

disavowal

-ˈvau̇(-ə)l 

noun