allude
Americanverb (used without object)
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to refer casually or indirectly; make an allusion (usually followed byto ).
He often alluded to his poverty.
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to contain a casual or indirect reference (usually followed byto ).
The letter alludes to something now forgotten.
verb
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to refer indirectly, briefly, or implicitly
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(loosely) to mention
Commonly Confused
See elude
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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alludesimple
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alludessimple
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have alludedperfect
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has alludedperfect
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are alludingprogressive
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am alludingprogressive
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is alludingprogressive
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have been alludingperfect progressive
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has been alludingperfect progressive
Past
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alludedsimple
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had alludedperfect
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was alludingprogressive
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were alludingprogressive
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had been alludingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing allude
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 1
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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The ACT: The Language of the Test, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To allude to Frank Sinatra, you did it your way.
From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026
The notebooks do allude to the depression of his wife, Francine Faure, occasioned by his serial infidelity.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
The show is, in fact, billed as being only "mostly" based on real events, and the writer and cast allude to a "twist".
From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026
Throughout, she’ll allude to stories of mistreated animals and the Griffith Park fire of 1933, heightening the sense that we are in the presence of unnatural occurrences.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2026
Many people would admire Odin’s horse, but only a brave man would ever mention its parentage in Loki’s presence, and nobody ever dared to allude to it twice.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
