equivocate

4 definitions found

equivocate - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Equivocate \E*quiv"o*cate\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Equivocated;
     p. pr. & vb. n. Equivocating.] [L. aequivocatus, p. p. of
     aequivocari to be called by the same name, fr. L. aequivocus:
     cf. F. ['e]quivoquer. See Equivocal, a.]
     To use words of equivocal or doubtful signification; to
     express one's opinions in terms which admit of different
     senses, with intent to deceive; to use ambiguous expressions
     with a view to mislead; as, to equivocate is the work of
     duplicity.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           All that Garnet had to say for him was that he supposed
           he meant to equivocate.                  --Bp.
                                                    Stillingfleet.
  
     Syn: To prevaricate; evade; shuffle; quibble. See
          Prevaricate.
          [1913 Webster]

  Equivocate \E*quiv"o*cate\, v. t.
     To render equivocal or ambiguous.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           He equivocated his vow by a mental reservation. --Sir
                                                    G. Buck.
     [1913 Webster]

equivocate - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  equivocate
      v 1: be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or
           withhold information [syn: beat around the bush,
           equivocate, tergiversate, prevaricate, palter]

equivocate - Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :

  81 Moby Thesaurus words for "equivocate":
     about the bush, alternate, around the bush, avoid, back and fill,
     be untruthful, beat about, beat around, beg the question, bicker,
     boggle, cavil, change, choplogic, deceive, dither, dodge,
     double-talk, draw the longbow, duck, elude, escape, eschew, evade,
     evade the issue, exaggerate, falsify, fence, fib, fluctuate, hedge,
     hem and haw, hum and haw, lie, lie flatly, mince the truth,
     mince words, mislead, mystify, nitpick, obscure, oscillate, palter,
     parry, pendulate, pick nits, prevaricate, pull away, pull back,
     pussyfoot, put off, quibble, recoil, sheer off, shift, shift off,
     shilly-shally, shrink, shuffle, shy, shy away, shy off, sidestep,
     skirt, speak falsely, split hairs, step aside, story,
     stretch the truth, swerve, teeter, tell a lie, tergiversate,
     totter, vacillate, vary, waffle, ward off, waver, weasel, wobble