elopement

[ih-lohp-muhnt]

noun

1. an act or instance of running off secretly, especially to be married.

2. 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.

3. 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

• nonelopement noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of elopement¹

First recorded in 1600–10; elope ( def. ) + -ment ( def. )

Related Words

• breakout 
• departure 
• desertion 
• disappearance 
• flight 
• freedom 
• liberation 
• outbreak 
• rescue 
• withdrawal