Synonyms

disavow

American

[dis-uh-vou] / ˌdɪs əˈvaʊ /

verb (used with object)

to disclaim knowledge of, connection with, or responsibility for; disown; repudiate.

He disavowed the remark that had been attributed to him.

Synonyms:

disclaim, reject, deny

disavow British

/ ˌdɪsəˈvaʊ /

verb

(tr) to deny knowledge of, connection with, or responsibility for

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of disavow

1350–1400; Middle English disavouen, desavouen < Anglo-French, Old French desavouer. See dis- ¹, avow

Explanation

To disavow is to deny support for someone or something. You might feel dissed if your biggest donor decides to suddenly disavow you in your run for president. Disavow comes from a combination of the Old French prefix des- meaning "opposite of" and the word avoer meaning to "acknowledge, accept, recognize." When you disavow, you are doing the opposite of acknowledging or accepting. You're rejecting or denying. When you disavow something you've done in the past, you reject or deny what you've done.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Paul opened the hearing by confronting Mullin about those remarks and asking him to disavow them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Nobody is asking anybody to disavow their beliefs.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026

As Pepe spread into the more extreme corners of the internet, Mr Furie tried to disavow the frog, even killing him off in a comic strip.

From BBC • Dec. 27, 2025

The two seem to have accepted the theory’s ascendence and would rather apply it fairly than disavow it altogether.

From Slate • Jun. 23, 2025

But when they see you as a fellow tribe member attempting to disavow the tribe, that is something they will never forgive.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023