to elude

Examples

• All

• A comprehensive regional peace, however, has eluded and frustrated all who have pursued it.

  Academic text (1994)

• Sweetback finally heads for Mexico, using his street smarts to elude his pursuers.

  Academic text (2017)

• "One of the victims managed to elude the killer.

  Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)

• Indeed, complex problems by definition have many dimensions that often elude simple solutions.

  Stanford

• Both as philosophy and as politics, these issues elude definitive solution or resolution.

  Academic text (1999)

• How could six armed men or women elude the hotel's security system, the cameras, the sensors?

  Fiction book (1991)

• And the more one desires happiness, the more it eludes our grasp.

• Sam's formative years were spent pursuing fame, but it eluded him.

  Sam Smith: Dreams Come True (2015)

• The reason these infant stars had eluded detection is that they are wrapped in dusty cocoons.

  Academic text (1991)

• The thief managed to elude capture by hiding in the shadows.

Synonyms

A

to avoid

vsto elude

∞ 1.0

To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening

is more specific about escaping or failing to be understood or achieved

G

to get away

vsto elude

786 4.1

To avoid being punished for something you did wrong

also covers escaping attention or failing to be understood, not just avoiding punishment

E

to escape

vsto elude

263 1.4

To avoid being harmed or affected by something unpleasant

also means avoiding people or failing to be understood, not only harm avoidance

E

to escape from

vsto elude

137 2.7

To get away from a person, place, or situation that causes trouble

covers both physical escape and also not being understood or achieved

R

to run away from

vsto elude

• Informal

92 2.9

To avoid dealing with a problem or responsibility

is less about clever avoidance and more about leaving rather than subtle evasion

D

to duck

vsto elude

• Informal

64 6.8

To avoid doing something you are supposed to do

also means escaping physically or not being understood, not only evasion

E

to evade

vsto elude

52 4.4

To get away from someone or something by being clever and tricky

also includes failing to be understood or remembered rather than only tricking

C

to circumvent

vsto elude

45 7.7

To avoid a rule or problem by using clever tricks

also covers failing to be understood or simple escape, not only bypassing rules

D

to dodge

vsto elude

25 5.3

To avoid answering a question or facing responsibility by giving unclear answers

also includes physical escape or accidental failure to be understood

S

to skirt

vsto elude

19 6.8

To avoid dealing with a question or problem

also includes literal physical escape and being hard to understand or achieve

H

to hedge

vsto elude

17 7.4

To avoid giving a direct answer or clear commitment

is broader, also meaning literal escape or being not remembered or achieved

S

to sidestep

vsto elude

15 4.9

To avoid answering a question or dealing with a problem directly

also covers physical escape and failing to be understood, not only indirect avoidance

F

to fudge

vsto elude

5 7.7

To avoid giving a clear answer or decision

typically focuses on vagueness rather than physical escape or failure to be understood

P

to parry

vsto elude

2 8.1

To avoid answering a question by giving a vague answer

is broader, also meaning physical escape or failure to be understood

Antonyms

C

to confront

359 4.4

Face a difficult problem or fear directly and bravely

How Elusive

to evade

52 4.4

to elude

83 5.8

to avoid

∞ 1.0

dodge

4 2.7

Surface Forms

Etymology