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Equivocate definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

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Definition of 'equivocate'

Word Frequency

equivocate

(ɪkwɪvəkeɪt )

Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense equivocates , present participle equivocating , past tense, past participle equivocated

verb

When someone equivocates, they deliberately use vague language in order to deceive people or to avoid speaking the truth.

He is equivocating a lot about what is going to happen if and when there are elections. [V + about/over]

He had asked her once again about her finances. And again she had equivocated. [VERB]

Synonyms: be evasive, evade, dodge, parry More Synonyms of equivocate

equivocation (ɪkwɪvəkeɪʃən ) uncountable noun [usu without N]

Why doesn't the President say so without equivocation?

Synonyms: ambiguity, evasion, hedging, waffle [informal, mainly British] More Synonyms of equivocate

COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

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Word Frequency

equivocate in British English

(ɪˈkwɪvəˌkeɪt )

verb

(intransitive)

to use vague or ambiguous language, esp in order to avoid speaking directly or honestly; hedge

Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Derived forms

equivocatingly (eˈquivoˌcatingly)

adverb

equivocator (eˈquivoˌcator)

noun

equivocatory (eˈquivocatory)

adjective

Word origin

C15: from Medieval Latin aequivocāre, from Late Latin aequivocus ambiguous, equivocal

Word Frequency

equivocate in American English

(iˈkwɪvəˌkeɪt ; ɪˈkwɪvəˌkeɪt )

verb intransitiveWord forms: eˈquivoˌcated or eˈquivoˌcating

to use equivocal terms in order to deceive, mislead, hedge, etc.; be deliberately ambiguous

SIMILAR WORDS: lie

Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Derived forms

equivocation (eˌquivoˈcation)

noun

equivocator (eˈquivoˌcator)

noun

Word origin

ME equivocaten < ML aequivocatus, pp. of aequivocari, to have the same sound < LL aequivocus, of like sound < L aequus (see equal) + vox, voice

Examples of 'equivocate' in a sentence
equivocate

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.Read more…

Hoping he did not mean what I feared he meant, I attempted to equivocate.Whereas he had so far been unpredictable and equivocating, from this point on he remained firmly devoted to protecting his father's royal rights.His recommendation was accepted in principle by the government, but the parliamentary committee equivocated on the location.The script writers used equivocating phrases and words to evade the censorship.Without a clear programme of government reforms to promote, he tended to moralise or equivocate.The book equivocates on the actual cause of the deformities.He also said that this was not a premeditated action, though there was no point in trying to soften or equivocate as what happened should never, ever have happened.

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Definition of equivocate from theCollins English Dictionary

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Apr 20, 2021

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pidgin

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Scrabble score
for 'equivocate':
24

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We fell in love with a black dog with a long tail. We fell in love with a black dog with a long tale.

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My sisters moved even farther away from home. My sisters moved even father away from home.

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You can me anytime.

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Mrs Cavendish is a friend of mine.

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