elope

verb

\ i-ˈlōp

eloped; eloping

Definition of elope

1a : 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 husband 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 : to slip away : escape … might have mistaken him for … some scarecrow eloped from a cornfield.— Washington Irving

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Examples of elope in a Sentence

The couple eloped in the middle of the night.

Recent Examples on the Web

The day after her Reno divorce in 1944, Vanderbilt eloped to Mexico with Stokowski, who was 62 to her 20. — Elaine Woo, latimes.com, "Gloria Vanderbilt, heiress, socialite and fashion entrepreneur, dies at 95," 17 June 2019 The couple eloped in Newport Beach two years later, on a Thanksgiving Day in 1997. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "How Lori Loughlin and Her Husband Mossimo Giannulli Became Involved in the College Admissions Scandal," 13 Mar. 2019 The couple first met in 2013 and eloped three years later. — Heather Finn, Good Housekeeping, "A Complete Timeline of Jordan Peele and Wife Chelsea Peretti's Low-Key Relationship," 8 Apr. 2019 Following her divorce to industry executive Michael R. Burns, a young Loughlin eloped to fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli on Thanksgiving Day 1997. — Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, "Everything to Know About Lori Loughlin's Kids, Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose," 12 Mar. 2019 The couple got engaged in December 2005 and eloped three days later. — Marie Milano, Country Living, "How Dierks Bentley and Cassidy Black Went From Childhood Sweethearts to Husband and Wife," 13 Nov. 2018 The two eloped in Las Vegas, and got divorced a few years later in 2004. — Yerin Kim, Seventeen, "How Well Do You Know Kim Kardashian's Love Life?," 26 Feb. 2019 Last month, Ripa shared amazing throwback photos of her 1996 wedding to Consuelos -- when the two eloped in Las Vegas -- to celebrate their 22nd wedding anniversary. — Fox News, "Kelly Ripa slams troll who questioned her work ethic after she shared vacation photos," 2 Oct. 2018 John Steinbeck, the prolific Pultizer Prize-winning author, lived in this cute California cottage during the 1940s after eloping with his wife, Carol Henning. — Rori Kotch, Country Living, "You'll Never Guess Which Classic American Author's Cottage is for Rent," 10 July 2015

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'elope.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.