equivocate

verb

equiv·​o·​cate i-ˈkwi-və-ˌkāt How to pronounce equivocate (audio)
equivocated; equivocating

intransitive verb

1
: to use equivocal language especially with intent to deceive
2
: to avoid committing oneself in what one says
equivocator noun
Choose the Right Synonym for equivocate

lie, prevaricate, equivocate, palter, fib mean to tell an untruth.

lie is the blunt term, imputing dishonesty.

lied about where he had been

prevaricate softens the bluntness of lie by implying quibbling or confusing the issue.

during the hearings the witness did his best to prevaricate

equivocate implies using words having more than one sense so as to seem to say one thing but intend another.

equivocated endlessly in an attempt to mislead her inquisitors

palter implies making unreliable statements of fact or intention or insincere promises.

a swindler paltering with his investors

fib applies to a telling of a trivial untruth.

fibbed about the price of the new suit

Examples of equivocate in a Sentence

The applicant seemed to be equivocating when we asked him about his last job. When asked about her tax plan, the candidate didn't equivocate.
Recent Examples on the Web Vance attempted to equivocate the false claims from Trump in the wake of the election that led to the Jan. 6 Insurrection, with Democrats pointing to Russian disinformation campaigns that showed up on Facebook in the 2016 election. James Powel, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2024 There was no pretense about her, no slickness, no political glad-handing or equivocating, just a woman who knew the value of her work and the quality of her project and was crystal clear on how it should be done. Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 9 Sep. 2024 Told unequivocally that the atmosphere at Columbia was hostile, Shafik equivocated — until the anarchy escalated to the point that the university had no choice but to call in the NYPD. The Editors, National Review, 16 Aug. 2024 Lots of politicians equivocate about U.S. alliances with dubious Middle Eastern allies. Jim Geraghty, Washington Post, 31 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for equivocate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'equivocate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of equivocate was in 1590

Dictionary Entries Near equivocate

Cite this Entry

“Equivocate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/equivocate. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

equivocate

verb
equiv·​o·​cate i-ˈkwiv-ə-ˌkāt How to pronounce equivocate (audio)
equivocated; equivocating
: to use equivocal language especially to deceive
also : to avoid giving a definite answer
equivocation noun
equivocator noun

More from Merriam-Webster on equivocate

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