definitions

elude

[ ih-lood ]
/ ɪˈlud /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR elude ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), e·lud·ed, e·lud·ing.

to avoid or escape by speed, cleverness, trickery, etc.; evade: to elude capture.
to escape the understanding, perception, or appreciation of: The answer eludes me.

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RELATED WORDS

dodge, confound, thwart, puzzle, outwit, evade, frustrate, baffle, foil, stall, stonewall, shun, flee, outrun, fly, shy, stump, double, duck, bilk

Nearby words

eluant, eluate, elucidate, elucidation, elucubrate, elude, eluent, elul, elura, elusion, elusive

Origin of elude

1530–40; < Latin ēlūdere to deceive, evade, equivalent to ē- e-1 + lūdere to play, deceive
Related formse·lud·er, nounun·e·lud·ed, adjective
Can be confusedallowed allude aloud elude

Synonym study

1. See escape.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for elude

British Dictionary definitions for elude

elude

/ (ɪˈluːd) /

verb (tr)

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; bafflethe solution eluded her
Derived Formseluder, nounelusion (ɪˈluːʒən), noun

Word Origin for elude

C16: from Latin ēlūdere to deceive, from lūdere to play

usage

Elude is sometimes wrongly used where allude is meant: he was alluding (not eluding ) to his previous visit to the city
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

Word Origin and History for elude

elude

v.

1530s, "delude, make a fool of," from Latin eludere "escape from, make a fool of, win from at play," from ex- "out, away" (see ex-) + ludere "to play" (see ludicrous). Sense of "evade" is first recorded 1610s in a figurative sense, 1630s in a literal one. Related: Eluded; eludes; eluding.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper