elopement
Americannoun
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an act or instance of running off secretly, especially to be married.
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an act or instance of a patient or person in care leaving a hospital, care facility, or safe area independently without notifying anyone.
Nursing homes need strategies to cope with elopement.
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a small wedding ceremony with few or no guests and often without a reception.
The couple had a quiet elopement in Dublin with only their parents and an officiant present.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of elopement
First recorded in 1600–10; elope ( def. ) + -ment ( def. )
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.
Elopement adventure photography was born in earnest 10 years ago, pioneered by Maddie Mae, a wedding photographer who’d grown disillusioned with traditional weddings.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2025
Here are some of my favorite things to do and places to eat in the Elopement Capital of the Midwest.
From Salon • Sep. 24, 2022
Q. Elopement: My fiancée and I have always wanted a small wedding and have planned for an elopement out of state with only three guests.
From Slate • Aug. 22, 2016
It happens that Lundigan is talking about another woman, but the attributes fit Francis, who was only 20 during the Elopement shoot.
From Time • Jan. 8, 2011
She had done it by a slip of the tongue, and, when asked for an example, stammered out,— "Elopement, a runaway," and left Vosh to fight what there was left of Cobbleville.
From Winter Fun by Stoddard, William O.
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.
