as in reference
a statement that refers to something without mentioning it directly
The lyrics contain biblical allusions.
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Recent Examples of allusion
Busby makes not a single allusion, nor even a hint, at the wholesale destruction, misery and pain of not hundreds, but thousands of African-American families attributable to Hoover’s vicious stranglehold on the city’s South and West sides in the name of drug warfare for untold years.
—
Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2025
Berg’s documentary makes no allusions to fatal drug use or suicidal tendencies, but the specter of mortality was something Buckley acknowledged throughout his own life.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 6 Aug. 2025
There are other allusions to unfavorable animal traits in humans.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 18 July 2025
The appearance on January 6 of a gallows with a noose hanging from it outside the Capitol visually reinforced the allusion to that defining moment in the novel.
—James Shapiro, The Atlantic, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for allusion
Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2025
Berg’s documentary makes no allusions to fatal drug use or suicidal tendencies, but the specter of mortality was something Buckley acknowledged throughout his own life.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 6 Aug. 2025
There are other allusions to unfavorable animal traits in humans.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 18 July 2025
The appearance on January 6 of a gallows with a noose hanging from it outside the Capitol visually reinforced the allusion to that defining moment in the novel.
—James Shapiro, The Atlantic, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for allusion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for allusion
Noun
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For reference, Prater is six years older than Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady.—
Joe Buscaglia,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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The adults never quite understood the reference.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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International implications of using foreign fighters By allowing non-Ukrainians to serve, Kyiv runs the risk of these fighters being labelled as mercenaries by Russia, leaving them vulnerable to capture, detention and extradition to Russia.—
Rebecca Johns,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
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Those implications are front of mind for South Korea – with Google standing to potentially gain a lot if the government decides in their favor in October.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Allusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/allusion. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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