tergiversating

verb

present participle of tergiversate
as in weaseling
to avoid giving a definite answer or position shamelessly tergiversating, the witness replied, "Well, it depends upon what your definition of 'truth' is"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tergiversating
  1. shaking
  2. hedging
Verb
  • His hands were not shaking, and the cup was returned to his father un-rinsed and brimming with water.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • That dynamic is shaking the electric power industry to its core.
    — Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of shaking
Verb
  • This year, Elliott is hedging his bets, running for reelection to the House while challenging the governor.
    — Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2026
  • That means that clients are hedging exposures a lot more because things are more volatile and more uncertain.
    — Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of hedging
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.

Browse Nearby Words

tergiversates
tergiversating
tergiversation
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tergiversating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tergiversating. Accessed 13 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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of salvo

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

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

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
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
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All