elope

verb

i-ˈlōp 

eloped; eloping

intransitive verb

1

a

: to run away secretly with the intention of getting married usually without parental consent

… Waterman was a peevish child who grew into a defiant teenager, eloped at 18 largely to shock his father, and then—far too young—was a father himself.

—Elizabeth Gilbert

b

: to run away from one's spouse with a lover

" … when they had been married nearly seven years, and were within a few weeks of the time when the brother's death would have adjusted all, she eloped with a younger man, and left him."

—Charles Dickens

2

a

: to slip away : escape

… might have mistaken him for … some scarecrow eloped from a cornfield.

—Washington Irving

b

: to leave a health-care or educational facility without permission or authorization

…10 suicidal patients deemed 'high risk for suicide' eloped from the Emergency Department from October 2014 and February 2015.

—Charles S. Clark

Police in Ohio said this week that they gave a nursing home resident a ride and dropped him off at a gas station without ever knowing he was a dementia patient who had eloped.

—Kimberly Marselas

elopement

i-ˈlōp-mənt 

noun

plural elopements

… the young couple at a nearby table sent over some of their dessert, a slice of cake specially ordered to celebrate their elopement.

—David Massey

… if the child is afraid of loud noises or crowded environments, a classroom could be intimidating and cause him to be anxious. He might engage in problematic behaviors such as elopement (running away), hand flapping, or yelling …

—Erica Kearney

eloper noun

plural elopers

And of course, Las Vegas is no longer just for elopers. With all the elegant hotels springing up in Sin City, more couples are choosing to haul the whole wedding party out and do things up right.

—John Winters

Examples of elope in a Sentence

The couple eloped in the middle of the night.

Recent Examples on the Web

Ever the non-traditionalists, my mom and dad eloped in Italy, skipping the convention of ring swapping altogether, so growing up, there wasn’t much importance put on the idea of an engagement or wedding at all. —Aemilia Madden, Vogue, 30 Mar. 2024

Consuelos, 52, and Ripa, 53, eloped at Las Vegas' the Chapel of the Bells on May 1, 1996. —Lizzie Hyman, Peoplemag, 24 Mar. 2024

The couple secretly eloped during the pandemic Pinto and Tran had their wedding planning interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. —Anneke Knot, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024

Shortly after, though, the couple eloped on April 2, 1992, at a Texas courthouse — Chris in jeans and a T-shirt for the quick, casual ceremony, per Texas Monthly. —Makena Gera, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024

Eight decades later, George affirmed that eloping with Louise was one of the smartest decisions he's ever made. —Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 11 Feb. 2024

Londoners Fiona Evans and Josh Chan eloped on a birthday trip to New York City. —Kaitlin Menza, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Jan. 2024

The pair eloped in March and welcomed their first child, son Sammy, in June. —Katie Mannion, Peoplemag, 27 Jan. 2024

Phish is the latest music act set to take over Las Vegas orb Nov. 30, 2023 Kosha Shah and Kevin Singh are eloping to Vegas for a New Year’s Eve wedding at the Little White Wedding Chapel. —Alexandra E. Petri, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Anglo-French aloper, esloper to abduct, run away

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

elope

verb

i-ˈlōp 

eloped; eloping

: to run away secretly especially to get married without parental consent

elopement

-mənt 

noun

eloper noun