Avow in a Sentence: Meaning, Forms & Examples

Avow means to state or admit something openly and without hesitation. To use avow in a sentence, put the speaker first and the admission second: “She avowed that she had known all along.” The verb takes a noun object or a that-clause, and it carries a note of firmness or defiance that a plain admit does not.

Avow at a glance

• Avow is a transitive verb; its forms are avows, avowed, avowing and avowal.
• It means to declare or admit something openly, often against pressure to stay quiet.
• It usually takes either a noun object or a that-clause: avow a belief, avow that one was wrong.
• The adjective avowed and the adverb avowedly are common in political and legal writing.
• Avow belongs to formal and literary registers rather than everyday conversation.
• The commonest error is confusing the verb avow with the unrelated noun a vow.

What does avow mean?

Avow is a transitive verb meaning to declare or admit something openly and firmly. The first sense is a public declaration of belief or loyalty; the second is an admission of something the speaker might have preferred to hide. The Cambridge entry for avow gives the state-openly sense, and the admission sense grows straight out of it.

The verb is close to affirm a belief, which states that something is true. Avow adds the idea that the speaker is choosing to speak out, sometimes at cost, while affirm is cooler and more administrative.

One limitation is worth stating. Avow is formal and slightly literary, so it rarely appears in casual speech, where admit or say would do the work. It also does not guarantee that the statement is true or wise; an avowed mistake is still a mistake. The opposite verb, disavow, means to deny any connection with something.

How do you use avow in a sentence?

Put the speaker first and the thing avowed second. Five patterns cover almost every real sentence, and the that-clause is the one that lets you admit a full fact rather than a bare label.

If you want a plainer word for conceding a point, acknowledge a mistake is the neutral choice; avow keeps the sense that the speaker is speaking up voluntarily rather than merely agreeing. That voluntary edge is why a sentence with avow usually names the person doing the speaking, not merely the fact being stated.

Avow in a sentence: examples across contexts

Avow changes register more than meaning. The eleven sentences below keep the same verb while moving from a classroom to a courtroom, and each one shows who is speaking and what they are choosing to state.

Politicians profess an opinion in public, and the register is close to avow. Only two of the sentences above are spoken; the rest belong to writing, which is the clearest sign of where avow lives.

Avow vs admit

Avow and admit both disclose something, and they differ in attitude. To admit the truth is to concede, often reluctantly, because the evidence has forced it. To avow is to state openly by choice, and the speaker sounds willing rather than cornered.

Verdict: choose admit when the speaker is conceding under pressure, and avow when the speaker is declaring or confessing by choice. A witness under questioning admits; a witness speaking freely avows.

Word forms and grammar of avow

Avow inflects regularly, and its relatives carry much of the word’s modern life: the adjective avowed is more common than the verb in newspapers. The table also lists the opposite verb, which learners sometimes confuse with it.

Learners often meet disavow before they meet avow, because news writing likes the negative form. The pair works as a clean opposite: what one speaker avows, another can disavow, and the prefix dis- does all of the reversing. Keeping the two together is a good way to remember that avow always points toward speech rather than silence.

Common mistakes with avow

• Incorrect: She avowed to secrecy before the meeting. Correct: She vowed to keep it secret. Rule: Avow means to state openly; vow means to promise, and they are different words.
• Incorrect: He avowed of his mistake. Correct: He avowed his mistake. Rule: Avow is transitive and takes a direct object, so no preposition is needed.
• Incorrect: The witness avowed the signature was hers. Correct: The witness avowed that the signature was hers. Rule: A full clause needs the connector that after avow.
• Incorrect: I avow myself about being tired. Correct: I avow myself tired. Rule: The pattern avow oneself takes a noun or an adjective, never about.
• Incorrect: She refused to avow, so the case closed. Correct: She refused to avow any knowledge of the deal. Rule: The verb needs an object; what is avowed must be named.

Speakers confess a fault when the admission costs them something, which is the emotional edge that separates the two words.

Practice using avow

Work through the seven items, then check the reasoning rather than only the answer.

1. Fill the gap: The coach ______ that the better team had won on the night.
2. Choose the better word: Under cross-examination, the clerk finally (avowed / admitted) the error.
3. Correct the error: She avowed to support the plan only after the vote.
4. Build a sentence: use avow oneself about a pupil who says plainly that she is a poet.
5. Spot the register: which belongs in a formal statement – I avow my continued support, or yeah, I like it?
6. Rewrite with the noun: The minister avowed his regret. Use avowal instead.
7. Choose the better word: The company quickly (disavowed / avowed) the fake advertisement.

Answers

1. avowed – the coach states the fact openly and without being pressed.
2. admitted – cross-examination supplies the pressure, which is the admit sense.
3. She avowed her support for the plan only after the vote – avow takes a direct object, not to.
4. Model answer: The pupil avowed herself a poet before the whole class.
5. I avow my continued support – a formal statement keeps the full verb and avoids slang.
6. The minister’s avowal of regret came late – the noun needs a following of.
7. disavowed – the company denied any connection with the advertisement.

The bottom line

Use avow in a sentence when someone states or admits something openly and by choice, and give the verb an object or a that-clause. The two nuances that decide most sentences are these: avow sounds willing while admit sounds reluctant, and the adjective avowed is more common in modern writing than the verb itself. To declare publicly is the closest everyday phrase, though it lacks the note of frank self-exposure.

Frequently asked questions about avow

Is avow still used today?

Avow survives mainly in formal writing, and its adjective avowed is far more common than the verb. Newspapers describe an avowed critic or an avowed aim, while conversation prefers admit or say. The verb itself sounds deliberate, which is exactly why writers keep it for moments of open declaration.

What is the difference between avow and admit?

Avow means to state or confess openly by choice, and the speaker sounds willing. Admit means to concede something true, usually because evidence or pressure has left no other option. A person who volunteers a fault avows it, and a person who finally concedes under questioning admits it.

Can avow take a that-clause?

Yes, and it often does. Avow that the report was wrong is a full, grammatical sentence. The that-clause lets the speaker admit a whole fact rather than a single label. Without the connector that, the two clauses run together and the sentence becomes ungrammatical.

What does disavow mean?

Disavow is the opposite of avow: it means to deny any responsibility for or connection with something. A group disavows a message it did not send, and a politician disavows a supporter’s remark. The prefix dis- reverses the open declaration, so the word withdraws rather than admits.