as in reference
a statement that refers to something without mentioning it directly
The lyrics contain biblical allusions.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of allusion
Those messages included a mix of memes and allusions to video games.
—
Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 15 Sep. 2025
The messages on the bullet casings also included a mix of memes and allusions to video games.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2025
While some allusions only indicate the time, others go into mythology.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
The film is not pretentious about its literary allusions though.
—Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for allusion
Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 15 Sep. 2025
The messages on the bullet casings also included a mix of memes and allusions to video games.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2025
While some allusions only indicate the time, others go into mythology.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
The film is not pretentious about its literary allusions though.
—Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for allusion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for allusion
Noun
-
After a while, sticky notes appear, written by someone else who’s not exactly pleased about the doodler’s defacement of the only astronomy reference work in the school library.—
Caroline Carlson,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau's new romance is continuing to heat up as both the pop star and the former Canadian prime minister appeared to make cheeky references to each other over Halloween weekend.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
And that has real implications.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
This subtle shift has big implications.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Allusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/allusion. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share