allude

American  

[uh-lood] / əˈlud /

verb (used without object)

alludes, present (3rd person singular) alluded, past participle, past alluding present participle

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

Derived Forms

• preallude
  verb (used without object)

Inflected Forms

Participles

• alluding
  present
• alluded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• allude
  simple
• alludes
  simple
• have alluded
  perfect
• has alluded
  perfect
• am alluding
  progressive
• are alluding
  progressive
• is alluding
  progressive
• have been alluding
  perfect progressive
• has been alluding
  perfect progressive

Past

• alluded
  simple
• had alluded
  perfect
• was alluding
  progressive
• were alluding
  progressive
• had been alluding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will allude
  simple
• will have alluded
  perfect
• will be alluding
  progressive
• will have been alluding
  perfect progressive

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

See Examples For:

allude alludes alluded alluding

In its review, the Hechinger Report found other companies that similarly allude to fictitious government programs.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026

Although that project was scrapped, Variety magazine said the second season of The Studio will allude to the attempts to bring Madonna's story to the big screen.

From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026

Their presence may allude to the hymn “Panis Angelicus,” or “bread of angels,” written by St. Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century as a poetic reference to the presence of Christ in the consecrated host.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026

As the pictures flashed, I spotted an American flag in the room and suggested she use it as a backdrop to allude to the album.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026

Just every now and then, Ruth would allude to it.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

But independent investment research provider Variant Perception alludes to a looming shift in market psyche as they reckon “the next couple of days will mark ‘peak uncertainty’ about the Iran war.”

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 20, 2026

In other words, the statement alludes to something having happened, but doesn’t identify who did it or even what it was.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2026

"Every pundit alludes to it, but it all comes down to mental resilience. 'Bazball' has been elevated to a term now that is just, like, nonsense cricket," added Rory.

From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2025

In the body of the book, he alludes to the subject, promising to tell more later.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025

The phrase subtly alludes to another meditation on unrealized genius, “Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest,” from Thomas Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.”

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Trump on Wednesday alluded to threats to his life when speaking to reporters in Ankara, Turkey.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

As Musk alluded to, if SpaceX hands out compute like candy, then things could get tight.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 27, 2026

His mother laments he "would not do as he was told" but it is his father's cautionary tale to other children which was the moral Sir Desmond alluded to.

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

As Smith alluded to, under the challenge system — as opposed to fulltime ABS, which MLB also tested in the minors — it’s still possible to steal strikes.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026

To the continuing exasperation of his fellow scientists, he often alluded in published work to the results of contingent experiments that he had not told anyone about.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

But tonight, their team known as the "Albirroja" -- alluding to the blue and red of their jersey -- were kings.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

In a speech last summer, Roger Alford, who served as Slater’s top deputy, made a scathing speech alluding to how business was done at the department.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Then, add a line alluding to the price she set and perhaps ask if she’d be willing to chat about how she goes about running her resale business.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026

“When you start in August, the goal is to play in Omaha,” USC coach Andy Stankiewicz said, alluding to the home of the College World Series.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2026

She fed me without alluding to my poverty, and from then on I continued to visit her.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela