as in references
a statement that refers to something without mentioning it directly
The lyrics contain biblical allusions.
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Recent Examples of allusions
But there were, nonetheless, plenty of fringes, beaded embellishments and allusions to the jazz age on the red carpet at LA’s Shrine Auditorium.
—
Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 1 Mar. 2026
Do the allusions and shout-outs to current events and personalities seem a little too close for comfort?
—Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
And posts with allusions to extremism have popped up on occasion in individual department or agency feeds, especially at DHS, which oversees both Customs and Border Protection and ICE.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2026
What might have been just an engaging children’s story becomes also a set of hints, allusions, and glimpses, the early experiences of learning about a larger world.
—Literary Hub, 23 Dec. 2025
The finale also makes some allusions to things to come.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 15 Dec. 2025
Take note of the clever literary allusions and wordplay that might have gone over your head back in elementary school.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 7 Dec. 2025
All the Amityville allusions are present (and very much intended), but as ever with Harrison, the entire project is elevated by her facility with character and endearing snark.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Boxing puns and allusions aside, competition between a father and son in the same Grammy category is hard to come by, but not without precedent.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2025
Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 1 Mar. 2026
Do the allusions and shout-outs to current events and personalities seem a little too close for comfort?
—Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
And posts with allusions to extremism have popped up on occasion in individual department or agency feeds, especially at DHS, which oversees both Customs and Border Protection and ICE.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2026
What might have been just an engaging children’s story becomes also a set of hints, allusions, and glimpses, the early experiences of learning about a larger world.
—Literary Hub, 23 Dec. 2025
The finale also makes some allusions to things to come.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 15 Dec. 2025
Take note of the clever literary allusions and wordplay that might have gone over your head back in elementary school.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 7 Dec. 2025
All the Amityville allusions are present (and very much intended), but as ever with Harrison, the entire project is elevated by her facility with character and endearing snark.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Boxing puns and allusions aside, competition between a father and son in the same Grammy category is hard to come by, but not without precedent.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for allusions
Noun
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Under the settlement, Buckfire agreed to remove all references to race as eligibility or selection criteria and clarify that its scholarships do not give preference to any student based on race or ethnicity.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Mar. 2026
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The Illinois governor's name appears about two dozen times in the Epstein files — all references to news stories with Pritzker in the headline.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Judges, rather than legislators or business leaders, are making serious efforts to address the implications of artificial intelligence for society, as demonstrated by recent federal court rulings on copyright and attorney-client privilege.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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The findings may have broader implications beyond planetary defense, notes Masatoshi Hirabayashi, another DART scientist who was not directly involved with the new study and an associate professor in aerospace engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Allusions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/allusions. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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