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
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
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In front of the West Stand press box, fans sang and danced together to Spirit of the Blues and Singing the Blues — the latter a reference to rivals Liverpool’s defeat to Chelsea on Saturday.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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This is presumably a reference to Perkins' status as a closeted gay man, something Hitchcock likely knew, and not because Perkins had homicidal tendencies.—
JR Radcliffe,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The first matchup with College Football Playoff implications at stake for both teams.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
4 Oct. 2025
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There’s a sadness to her uncertainty, this implication that her eventual return will in some way be conditional.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Allusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/allusion. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.
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