Definition of prevaricate Prevaricate

/pɹʌvɛˈɹʌkejt/ - [pruverukeyt] - pre•var•i•cate

We found 12 definitions of prevaricate from 6 different sources.

What does prevaricate mean?

Verb
prevaricate - be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information
		beat around the bush, equivocate, tergiversate, palter
		misinform, mislead give false or misleading information to

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prevaricate (Verb)
To deviate, transgress; to go astray from.
prevaricate (Verb)
To shift or turn from direct speech or behaviour; to evade the truth; to waffle or be intentionally ambiguous.
prevaricate (Verb)
To collude, as where an informer colludes with the defendant, and makes a sham prosecution.

prevaricate (v. i.)
To shift or turn from one side to the other, from the direct course, or from truth; to speak with equivocation; to shuffle; to quibble; as, he prevaricates in his statement.
prevaricate (v. i.)
To collude, as where an informer colludes with the defendant, and makes a sham prosecution.
prevaricate (v. i.)
To undertake a thing falsely and deceitfully, with the purpose of defeating or destroying it.
prevaricate (v. t.)
To evade by a quibble; to transgress; to pervert.

prevaricate
prē-var′i-kāt, v.i. to shift about from side to side, to evade the truth: to quibble: (obs.) to undertake a thing with the purpose of defeating or destroying it: (law) to betray a client by collusion with his opponent.—v.t. (obs.) to pervert, transgress.—ns. Prēvaricā′tion, the act of quibbling to evade the truth; Prēvar′icātor, one who prevaricates to evade the truth: a quibbler. [L. prævaricāri, -ātus—præ, inten., varicus, straddling—varus, bent.]