allude

American  

[uh-lood] / əˈlud /

verb (used without object)

alluded, alluding

1. to refer casually or indirectly; make an allusion (usually followed byto ).

   He often alluded to his poverty.

2. to contain a casual or indirect reference (usually followed byto ).

   The letter alludes to something now forgotten.

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allude British  

/ əˈluːd /

verb

1. to refer indirectly, briefly, or implicitly

2. (loosely) to mention

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Commonly Confused

See elude

Other Word Forms

• preallude
  verb (used without object)

Etymology

Origin of allude

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin allūdere “to play beside, make a playful allusion to,” equivalent to al- al- + lūdere “to play”

Explanation

When you allude to something, you don't identify it or mention it specifically. If you allude to the fact that a cop is sitting right behind you, your friends might stop talking about their plans to rob a bank. Allude is from Latin allūdere "to play with, joke" from the prefix ad- "toward" plus lūdere "to play." The corresponding noun is allusion, which is often used of an indirect reference in literature: Helen, a fitting name for a woman of great beauty, is an allusion to Helen of Troy.

Example Sentences

On the campaign trail, besmirched lawmakers tend to consult a familiar playbook: Allude to the charges if cornered, but only in passing.

From New York Times • Sep. 3, 2014

Allude, al-lūd′, v.i. to mention slightly, or convey an indirect reference to, in passing: to refer to.—n.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

Allude to his illness as fever, and leave to himself entirely the option of telling you the true story or not.'

From Tony Butler by Lever, Charles James

"Allude not to your mother!" exclaimed the old man passionately.

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 57, No. 354, April 1845 by Various

Allude is now very rarely used in any other sense than that of to speak of, to mention, to name, which is a long way from being its legitimate signification.

From The Verbalist A Manual Devoted to Brief Discussions of the Right and the Wrong Use of Words and to Some Other Matters of Interest to Those Who Would Speak and Write with Propriety. by Osmun, Thomas Embly