as in weaseled
to avoid giving a definite answer or position
the candidate equivocated as long as he could on controversial issues
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Recent Examples of equivocated
The White House has reportedly equivocated its support of Means in recent weeks.
—
Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2026
Brooks, for his part, equivocated … A bout of frantic rebranding ensued.
—Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026
Brooks, for his part, equivocated.
—Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Mace equivocated, saying Collins would need to reread the quotes to her, which the journalist did.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 10 Dec. 2025
Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2026
Brooks, for his part, equivocated … A bout of frantic rebranding ensued.
—Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026
Brooks, for his part, equivocated.
—Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Mace equivocated, saying Collins would need to reread the quotes to her, which the journalist did.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 10 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for equivocated
Verb
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Minutes into the execution, the team warden briefly flicked Hitchcock‘s face and yelled his name twice and shook his shoulders.—
Jeffrey Collins,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
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Bukele shook off his delusions of being the emperor of social media and abandoned his bullying tactics in the face of the biggest bully.—
Óscar Martínez,
The Dial,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For one, action bias is not always bad — sometimes things genuinely need to get done, not waffled over.—
Aiko Bethea,
Big Think,
22 Apr. 2026
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During that stretch, Davis has waffled between hopeless and hopeful on a weekly basis.—
Jack Flemming,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Equivocated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/equivocated. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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