Elude
/ɪˈluːd/
verbB2
Definition
To elude means to get away from someone or something trying to catch you, usually by being quick or smart. It can also mean when a fact, idea, or answer is difficult to find, understand, or remember.
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⚡ See It in Action
To escape or avoid capture or danger by being quick or clever
- •The thief managed to elude the police for days.
- •The deer eluded the hunters by running into the thick forest.
- •She eluded her problems by changing the subject.
To fail to be understood, remembered, or noticed
- •The answer to the puzzle eluded him despite many tries.
- •The meaning of the poem eluded most readers.
- •The solution eluded the scientists for years.
🧲 Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "elude" like "escape," but with a sense of cleverness or difficulty—it's not just running away, but avoiding carefully
- ✓Picture a person running through a maze, dodging traps and slipping past guards without being caught
- ✓It's the feeling when you try to remember a word or name, but it stays just out of reach in your mind
- ✓Sounds like "I-LOOD" → imagine someone saying "I elude you!" while quickly disappearing behind a wall
- ✓In stories, heroes often elude danger by being smart and fast, like spies or thieves escaping capture
- ✓NOT like "hide" (which means to stay still and secret), "elude" means to avoid by moving or being clever
- ✓NOT like "lose" (which means to fail to keep something), "elude" means something or someone avoids you actively
- ✓When talking about ideas, NOT like "forget" (you lose memory), "elude" means the idea is hard to catch or understand
🔄 Try Other Words
- •Avoid: to keep away from something (Use when the focus is on staying away rather than cleverness)
- •Evade: to escape or avoid, often by tricking or being clever (Use when the avoidance is intentional and smart)
- •Dodge: to move quickly to avoid something (Use when physical quick movement is emphasized)
- •Baffle: to confuse or puzzle (Use when something is hard to understand, similar to the second meaning of elude)
🔍 Unboxing
- •Word parts: prefix "e-" (variant of "ex-", meaning out) + root "lude" from Latin "ludere" meaning to play or trick
- •Etymology: From Latin "eludere," meaning to play away or escape by tricking
- •Historical development: Originally meant to mock or trick; later evolved to mean escaping or avoiding cleverly
- •Modern usage: Used to describe both physical escape and difficulty in understanding or remembering something
- •Key insight: The idea of "playing away" connects to cleverness and trickiness in avoiding capture or understanding
💭 Reflect & Connect
•Can you think of a time when an idea or fact eluded you even though you tried hard to understand it?
•How does being able to elude danger or problems help people in real life or in stories?
Fill in the blanks with the correct word:
1.The criminal tried to elude the police by ___ through back alleys and ___ their search.
2.Sometimes, the meaning of a poem can elude readers because it is ___ and ___.
3.She managed to elude the question by ___ a different topic and ___ attention.
4.Unlike hiding quietly, to elude someone means to ___ them by being ___ or quick.
5.The answer to the riddle eluded him despite ___ many times and ___ different ideas.
6.The athlete eluded defenders by ___ quickly and ___ their attempts to catch him.
7.When a memory eludes you, it often feels like it is ___ but just ___ your reach.