elude

verb

ē-ˈlüd 

eluded; eluding

transitive verb

1

: to avoid adroitly : evade

the mice eluded the traps

managed to elude capture

2

: to escape the perception, understanding, or grasp of

subtlety simply eludes them

victory continued to elude us

3

: defy sense 2

it eludes explanation

Synonyms of elude

• evade
• avoid
• escape

Choose the Right Synonym for elude

escape, avoid, evade, elude, shun, eschew mean to get away or keep away from something.

escape stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent.

nothing escapes her sharp eyes

avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty.

try to avoid past errors

evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding.

evaded the question by changing the subject

elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes.

what she sees in him eludes me

shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence.

you have shunned your responsibilities

eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful.

a playwright who eschews melodrama

Examples of elude in a Sentence

The killer was able to elude the police.

The killer has eluded capture.

The cause of the disease continues to elude researchers.

Recent Examples on the Web

Thompson eluded law enforcement for hours — setting off a manhunt across a crime scene that stretched for 2 miles — before he was cornered in a shed, according to authorities. —Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026

Essentially, a defeatist tone was set once Shaheed zoomed through the 49ers on his 95-yard kick return, eluding Chase Lucas, Luke Gifford and, alas, kicker Eddy Piñeiro, who tried to trip Shaheed at the 55-yard line. —Cam Inman, Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2026

Mamdani is certainly a man who hopes to have many long-term legacies and one of them could be finally getting the Rikers mess under control, a situation that has eluded multiple predecessors. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2026

With a Mittelstadt screen, the defenseman’s long wrister eluded Soderblom and the B’s had a 4-2 lead. —Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 18 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin ēlūdere "to trick, avoid, evade, flout," from ē-, variant of ex- ex- entry 1 + lūdere "to play, jest, tease" — more at ludicrous

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing elude

• elude someone's grasp

Rhymes for elude

• accrued
• allude
• collude
• conclude
• construed
• debuted
• delude
• endued
• ensued
• eschewed
• etude
• exclude

Kids Definition

elude

verb

ē-ˈlüd 

eluded; eluding

1

: to avoid or escape by being quick, skillful, or tricky

2

: to escape the understanding or grasp of

the explanation eludes me