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

• contradict
• deny
• disaffirm
• disallow
• disclaim
• disconfirm
• disown
• gainsay
• negate
• negative
• refute
• reject
• repudiate

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

Hines has occupied an awkward space for years with regards to her husband’s anti-vaccine activism, which she was eventually forced to comment upon and disavow when Kennedy, at an anti-Covid mandates rally, intimated that vaccine mandates had been worse than the Holocaust. —Anna Merlan, WIRED, 26 Mar. 2024

An Instagram post by the TikTok star promoting Bud Light attracted backlash and calls for boycott from conservatives, following which AB InBev disavowed the campaign. —Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 29 Dec. 2023

But then the spokesman and later Mizuhara disavowed that account, and it was subsequently replaced with the claim that the interpreter stole the money through wire transfers of $500,000 each, according to ESPN. —Paul Pringle, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024

The state party later disavowed McClanahan after a photo resurfaced online of him saluting in front of a burning cross next to a person wearing what appeared to be a hooded Ku Klux Klan robe. —Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024

The Belgian brewer promptly disavowed the campaign, sparking outrage among the LGBTQ community. —Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 1 Mar. 2024

According to the article, the FBI and other US intelligence arms are keeping an eye on several Russian expats who invest in Western tech companies, even though these expats may have obscured their Kremlin ties, disavowed them, changed passports or identities. —Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024

Most of all, Bobby’s politics conflict with JFK’s and his fringe views have caused his cousins to disavow him. —Barbara Lippert, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Feb. 2024

But after a backlash, AB InBev’s CEO disavowed the campaign. —Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 7 Mar. 2024

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

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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