equivocated

verb

past tense of equivocate
as in weaseled
to avoid giving a definite answer or position the candidate equivocated as long as he could on controversial issues

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of equivocated The White House has reportedly equivocated its support of Means in recent weeks. — Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2026 Brooks, for his part, equivocated … A bout of frantic rebranding ensued. — Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026 Brooks, for his part, equivocated. — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026 Mace equivocated, saying Collins would need to reread the quotes to her, which the journalist did. — Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 10 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for equivocated
  1. shook
  2. waffled
Verb
  • Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have decided to move from from their Montecito idyll to the United Kingdom in mere weeks, news that generated countless headlines and shook royal society to its core.
    — Chandler Tregaskes, Vanity Fair, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The temblor set off emergency quake alerts on mobile phones and also significantly shook Tokyo.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of shook
Verb
  • Germany, which represents the EU’s biggest economy and export market, has waffled over hitting China with sanctions or duties, worried about retaliatory measures.
    — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 18 June 2026
  • But as Topuria protested and the doctor waffled, Goddard and the UFC ruled the bout would continue.
    — Mark Puleo, New York Times, 15 June 2026
Definition of waffled

Browse Nearby Words

equivocate
equivocated
equivocates
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Equivocated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/equivocated. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All