Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To evade or escape from, as by daring, cleverness, or skill: The suspect continues to elude the police.
- v. To escape the understanding or grasp of: a name that has always eluded me; a metaphor that eluded them. See Synonyms at escape.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To avoid by artifice, stratagem, deceit, or dexterity; escape; evade: as, to elude pursuit; to elude a blow or stroke.
- To remain unseen, undiscovered, or unexplained, by; baffle the inquiry or scrutiny of: as, secrets that elude the keenest search.
- Synonyms To shun, flee, shirk, dodge, baffle, foil, frustrate.
Wiktionary
- v. To evade, or escape from someone or something, especially by using cunning or skill.
- v. To shake off a pursuer; to give someone the slip.
- v. To escape understanding of; to be incomprehensible to.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. To avoid slyly, by artifice, stratagem, or dexterity; to escape from in a covert manner; to mock by an unexpected escape; to baffle
WordNet 3.0
- v. avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
- v. be incomprehensible to; escape understanding by
- v. escape, either physically or mentally
Etymologies
- Latin ēlūdere : ē-, ex-, ex- + lūdere, to play (from lūdus, play; see leid- in Indo-European roots).
Examples
“And I seem to remember several books with Conan Doyle as the detective though the titles elude me.”
“The correct definition and use of the word elude has eluded 10:59 pm Anon.”
“Over the years we have seen this title elude some of the sport's greatest players (McEnroe, Sampras, Edberg, Becker, Federer to name a few).”
“Jim loves to blog anonymously about himself. he should learn how to spell "elude" in a press release.”
“Besides I was ready to supply the want of money by an increase of bodily privations and exertions, to elude which is the principal motive for spending money in travels of this sort.”
“The logic of the concluding paragraph seems to elude me.”
“The law allows such individuals to be picked up if they might flee or elude a subpoena for testimony.”
“How is it that this unconditional love continues to elude us, generation after generation?”
“Unfortunately, at this point you might also be feeling the beginnings of your resistance to sticking to your resolutions and asking yourself why discipline and willpower seem to elude you.”
The Huffington Post: Jason Mannino: How to Plan For R.E.A.L. Change
“The small, close-nit staff must elude a vicious killer who targets them, but all the while trying to keep the information of it from the guests.”
Broken Lizard: A Heretical Appreciation | Heretical Ideas Magazine
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