Meaning & use

eluding

verb·Academic

Skillfully escaping, avoiding, or evading someone or something, often through cleverness or speed.

See it in a sentence

The suspect spent three days eluding police before finally being caught near the border.

The exact cause of the disease kept eluding researchers despite years of study.

A note on using this word

Eluding often pairs with an abstract object, as in "eluding capture" or "eluding understanding," not only literal chases.

Words with a similar meaning

evadingescapingdodging

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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