Verb: tergiversate 'tur-ji-vu(r),seyt or tur'ji-vu(r),seyt
- Abandon one's beliefs or allegiances
"Several members tergiversated when the group became too radical";
- apostatize, apostatise [Brit]
- Be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information
"Stop tergiversating and tell me what really happened";
- beat around the bush [informal], equivocate, prevaricate, palter [archaic], beat about the bush [informal], weasel [informal]
Derived forms: tergiversating, tergiversates, tergiversated
Type of: disinform, disown, misinform, mislead, renounce, repudiate
Encyclopedia: Tergiversate