elope

[ ih-lohp ]

/ ɪˈloʊp /

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See synonyms for: elope / elopement on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), e·loped, e·lop·ing.

to run off secretly to be married, usually without the consent or knowledge of one's parents.

to run away with a lover.

to leave without permission or notification; escape: At age 21, the apprentice eloped from his master.

(of a person with a mental disorder or cognitive impairment) to leave or run away from a safe area or safe premises.

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Origin of elope

1590–1600; Middle English *alopen to run away (whence Anglo-French aloper). See a-³, lope

OTHER WORDS FROM elope

e·lope·ment, noune·lop·er, nounnon·e·lope·ment, nounun·e·loped, adjective

un·e·lop·ing, adjective

Words nearby elope

Elohist, eloign, Eloise, elongate, elongation, elope, elopement, eloquence, eloquent, El Oued, El Paso

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use elope in a sentence

Fast-forward, we borrow that car to drive from San Francisco to Palm Springs, and we eloped!
Telling men’s stories through their cars|Daniel Bentley|October 19, 2020|Fortune
On Dec. 22, 1799, Sands told her cousins that she would be leaving to elope with a fellow boarder named Levi Weeks that night.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Daughters who elope and dare to choose their own husbands are also considered dishonorable.
India's Strangely Modern Killing Spree|Kiran Bedi|July 11, 2010|DAILY BEAST
She did not, however, believe they would elope, which is a great relief.
Madoff's Sex/Money Paradox|Tracy Quan|August 25, 2009|DAILY BEAST

I wanted to elope, but Charles really wants to have a party for our friends.
The D.C. Sex Blogger on How She Went From Slut to Housewife|Jessica Cutler|December 10, 2008|DAILY BEAST
Suffice it to say, a mutual passion was conceived between the two cousins, and my father persuaded her to elope with him.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
I assure you that I wouldn't offer to elope with a suffrage tract, or a skirted treatise on socialism.
Mountain|Clement Wood
I've never done anything romantic in my life, and I've always wanted to elope, or something.
Isle o' Dreams|Frederick F. Moore
A couple of months ago she did me the honour to elope—temporarily, of course—with M. Paul Destournelle.
The History of Sir Richard Calmady|Lucas Malet
I could not elope with the shadow, it slipped away when the horse started, and waited on the road for its lawful owner.
Peter Schlemihl|Adelbert von Chamisso

British Dictionary definitions for elope

elope

/ (ɪˈləʊp) /

verb

(intr) to run away secretly with a lover, esp in order to marry

Derived forms of elope

elopement, nouneloper, noun

Word Origin for elope

C16: from Anglo-French aloper, perhaps from Middle Dutch lōpen to run; see lope

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

elope

Origin of elope

OTHER WORDS FROM elope

Words nearby elope

Words related to elope

How to use elope in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for elope

Derived forms of elope

Word Origin for elope