Meaning & use
elope
Last updated
UK/iˈləʊp/
US/iˈloʊp/
Meaning
verbintransitive
To leave secretly in order to get married, usually without family approval or a formal ceremony.
Grammar: No object; often followed by 'with' for the partner and 'to' for the place: elope with someone to somewhere.
Patterns
- elope with someone
- elope to somewhere
- elope and get married
The young couple eloped to Las Vegas because their families disapproved of the match.
Rather than plan a big wedding, they decided to elope on a beach in Portugal.
Word forms
| third person singular | elopes |
|---|---|
| past tense | eloped |
| past participle | eloped |
| -ing form | eloping |
Common combinations
- elope with someone
- She eloped with her college sweetheart over the winter break.
- elope abroad
- They eloped abroad to avoid the pressure of a large family wedding.
- run away and elope
- In the old story, the prince and the baker's daughter run away and elope.
Synonyms and how they differ
- run away
- Run away is general flight from home; elope specifically means leaving to get married.
- marry
- Marry is the neutral verb for the wedding itself and says nothing about secrecy.
Word family
- elopement noun
- An act of eloping; a secret marriage.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'elope' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Elope is intransitive — it takes no object. You elope (go away to marry), you do not 'elope someone' or 'elope the wedding.'
Make it your own
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