Synonym Chooser

How does the verb elude contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of elude are avoid, escape, eschew, evade, and shun. While all these words mean "to get away or keep away from something," elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes.

what she sees in him eludes me

When can avoid be used instead of elude?

While the synonyms avoid and elude are close in meaning, avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty.

try to avoid past errors

When would escape be a good substitute for elude?

In some situations, the words escape and elude are roughly equivalent. However, escape stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent.

nothing escapes her sharp eyes

Where would eschew be a reasonable alternative to elude?

Although the words eschew and elude have much in common, eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful.

a playwright who eschews melodrama

When is evade a more appropriate choice than elude?

The synonyms evade and elude are sometimes interchangeable, but evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding.

evaded the question by changing the subject

When could shun be used to replace elude?

While in some cases nearly identical to elude, shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence.

you have shunned your responsibilities

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 elude Indiana State Police officials announced charges against a second person accused of helping Austin Schepers elude law enforcement after police identified him as a suspect in the shooting of an Orange County sheriff's deputy earlier this month. Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025 Following his political defection, Carvajal vanished from public view, eluding extradition for several years while seeking political asylum in Europe. Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 25 June 2025 Euan, 37, eluded arrest Wednesday and remains at large, according to the FBI. Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025 This deliberately allusive narrative style enables the author to elude the topic of Nazism—or at least to hint at it in a covert way, thus making the novel acceptable to a wide German audience at the time of its publication in 1968. Ombline Damy, JSTOR Daily, 26 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for elude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elude
Verb
  • Last year, the Russians began including decoy drones with their Shahed drones to increase the likelihood of evading Ukrainian defenses.
    Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
  • Cochran drove in a manner that indicated to Taylor that the sheriff was trying to evade him, Welch said.
    Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 28 June 2025
Verb
  • Indeed, President Trump will probably never appeal his executive order losses in lower courts to avoid the embarrassment of losing in the Supreme Court populated with three Trump appointees.
    Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 30 June 2025
  • Don’t say Discovery The language in the Senate bill avoids any mention of the Smithsonian, Space Center Houston, Discovery, or even the space shuttle.
    Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • For more than two decades, a special team of Mexican police officers has quietly worked along the northern border to track down and deport foreign fugitives who cross into Mexico to escape criminal charges in their home countries.
    Time, Time, 9 July 2025
  • As the group began running to escape the bees, Karen Pierce estimated she was stung between 15 and 20 times, and Jeremy Pierce had been stung dozens of times.
    Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 9 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Elude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elude. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on elude

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