- (transitive) to deny knowledge of, connection with, or responsibility for
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
dis•a•vow /ˌdɪsəˈvaʊ/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to claim no knowledge of, connection with, or responsibility for:The director disavowed any knowledge of my actions.
dis•a•vow
(dis′ə vou′),USA pronunciation v.t.
dis′a•vow′ed•ly, adv.
dis′a•vow′er, n.
- to disclaim knowledge of, connection with, or responsibility for;
disown;
repudiate:He disavowed the remark that had been attributed to him.
- Anglo-French, Old French desavouer. See dis-1, avow
- Middle English disavouen, desavouen 1350–1400
dis′a•vow′er, n.
- deny, reject, disclaim.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
disavow /ˌdɪsəˈvaʊ/ vb
'disavow' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):