elopement
Americannoun
-
elopements
plural
-
an act or instance of running off secretly, especially to be married.
-
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.
-
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
The Janet Jackson that “Control” unleashed on the world was a teenager shaking off the dust of two forgettable pop albums and a misguided elopement with another pop star, James DeBarge, when she was 18.
From Salon ● Apr. 11, 2026
Maddie Mae changed the game — her elopement adventures took people wherever they wanted to go, giving them permission to have whatever kind of ceremony they desired.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2025
Gerry and Theresa’s nuptials are neither a private affair, discreet elopement, nor intimate gathering.
From Slate ● Jan. 4, 2024
His therapists are working to address elopement or wandering that can be common in children with autism.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 16, 2023
The Brownings’ elopement created a schism between their families. sherbet.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
During the elopements, her husband Bill takes photos via drone and shoots video.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2025
During the pandemic, many weddings turned into elopements.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 23, 2023
The rule about elopements is to do it first and announce it afterward.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 21, 2022
Some look like elopements or first-time trips for nervous couples; others look like tearful reunions or contemplative solo journeys.
From Slate ● Feb. 24, 2021
The newspapers of the summer of 1884 were full of elopements.
From T. De Witt Talmage As I Knew Him by T. De Witt (Thomas De Witt) Talmage
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.
