verb
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to escape or avoid (capture, one's pursuers, etc), esp by cunning
-
to avoid fulfilment of (a responsibility, obligation, etc); evade
-
to escape discovery, or understanding by; baffle
the solution eluded her
Usage
Elude is sometimes wrongly used where allude is meant: he was alluding (not eluding) to his previous visit to the city
Related Words
See escape.
Other Word Forms
- eluder noun
- elusion noun
Etymology
Origin of elude
First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin ēlūdere “to deceive, evade,” equivalent to ē- “from, out of” + lūdere “to play, deceive”; e- 1
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.
She clung to her two older sons, who, as they matured, eluded her grip much as their father had.
He reached the semi-finals of Masters, Grand Prix, European Championship and Grand Slam but that major title still eludes him.
From BBC
From then on, Root and Brook were outstanding, finding an ideal tempo for Test batting that had eluded England for much of the tour.
From BBC
Miami was the only Power 4 Conference team that didn’t list player weights online for all of last summer, a fact that seemed to elude public notice.
Rietbergen took the first set, but Hedman bounced back to secure victory, finally securing the title that had long eluded her.
From BBC
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.
