elude
Americanverb (used with object)
-
eludes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
eluded,
past participle, past
-
eluding
present participle
verb
-
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
Synonym Usage
See escape.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
eludesimple
-
eludessimple
-
have eludedperfect
-
has eludedperfect
-
am eludingprogressive
-
are eludingprogressive
-
is eludingprogressive
-
have been eludingperfect progressive
-
has been eludingperfect progressive
Past
-
eludedsimple
-
had eludedperfect
-
was eludingprogressive
-
were eludingprogressive
-
had been eludingperfect progressive
Future
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”; see e- 1
Explanation
Elude means "evade or escape," like the way you might elude the other kids during a game of hide-and-seek. This word can also mean "to be hard to understand." No matter how hard you try, the finer points of quantum physics might elude you. Elude has a slippery feeling to it. You elude the police, math can elude you — and that yak you went to see on safari but never got a glimpse of, you might say that he has eluded you as well. Delude means "to deceive," and there are times when someone can both delude and elude you — like when the conman took your money and then escaped out the back door.
Vocabulary lists containing elude
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Outsiders
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Grade 9, List 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Ali’s mournful assassin is trying to stay one step ahead of his enemies and, likewise, the movie fights like hell to elude conventionality.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
With an all-time great tight end in Travis Kelce and a game-breaking receiver in Tyreek Hill, he could elude pass rushers and move the ball downfield with just a couple of throws.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
But the kind of attention even her lesser work with Wagoner enjoyed continued to elude her own material.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Alexander Zverev finally landed the Grand Slam title that threatened to elude him by overcoming Flavio Cobolli and his own nerves to win a tense French Open final in five sets.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
After school I would stay in the library until it closed, just to elude the family’s overconcerned looks.
From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang
It’s also likely that the true extent and reach of these secret sponsorships still eludes us.
From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026
Not every collection is a success: a delicate red-orange shrimp daintily eludes the suction tube, swirling its long antenna as it swims almost triumphantly beyond reach.
From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026
And despite his view of Nick’s new ambitions, Nelson invites him to a sort of dance-off, in a moment both playful and poignant; they can find communion in dance that eludes them whenever they talk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2025
A World Cup still eludes Clarke, who has said there is a "75% chance" he will not renew his deal with the Scottish FA after next summer's finals.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2025
I read the e-mail six times before the letters form words and the words form sentences that I can understand, but, even then, the meaning of all the words taken together eludes me.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
He had eluded capture by setting up several camps in dense bush and despite several sightings by the public and on CCTV.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
About the only significant milestone that eluded Stafford: A second Super Bowl title.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
The revived interest in her work won her the respect at home that so long eluded her, and she created a massive yellow and black pumpkin sculpture for the Benesse Art Site on Naoshima Island.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
He won a fifth title with Aston Villa in May - their win over Freiburg in Istanbul ending a 30-year trophy drought - but the Super Cup has eluded him.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Places so far away they eluded all maps.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
The Apache medicine man Geronimo made his now-legendary name leading raids and eluding capture during the Apache wars of the 19th century.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
Peddemors netted again with a cross that found its way in after eluding several players before Beerensteyn rifled in from distance to double Wolfsburg's lead.
From Barron's ● Nov. 19, 2025
Daniel Andreas San Diego, 46, who was arrested in Wales with assistance from British authorities, was placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist List in 2009 after eluding capture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 26, 2024
Matt O'Riley added a third late on, his tame shot eluding George.
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2024
He could get so intense—throw screaming kicking tantrums when something seemed to be eluding him.
From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler
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.
