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Usage of Allude
Allude is a word with playful roots—literally. It comes from the Latin alludere, which means "to play with," and shares the root of Latin ludere ("to play") with other English words, such as ludicrous and delude. One of the former meanings of allude was "to engage in wordplay": this sense is now long obsolete.
Although some people think that allude must always specifically entail an indirect reference, this is not the case; people have been using allude in the sense of "to refer to directly" for well over a century (as in "The Man Without a Country," the short story by Edward Everett Hale from 1863: "He never alluded so directly to his story again..."). So while allude may more commonly be used in the sense of expressing something indirectly, it is neither uncommon nor improper to use it to mean something more direct.
Allude need not always be followed by the preposition to, although that is the most common construction in modern usage.
Synonyms
Examples of allude in a Sentence
Clifford A. Pickover, Surfing Through Hyperspace, 1999
Adams had alluded to slavery in 1816, when he confided to Jefferson that "there will be greater difficulties to preserve our Union, than You and I, our Fathers Brothers Friends … have had to form it."
—Joseph J. Ellis, American Heritage, May/June 1993
The more challenging problems in fact—ones that the optimists rarely allude to—will be the problems of success.
—Charles R. Morris, Atlantic, October 1989
Mrs. Simons alluded to some health problems, without being specific.
Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2023
As alluded in the previous scene, this is the Ruth Handler, the creator of Barbie.
—Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 22 July 2023
Tactics and Recent Results World Cup success has alluded two-time Olympic Gold medalist head coach Pia Sundhage, much like Brazil.
—Neel Shelat, Forbes, 16 July 2023
Two weeks ago, the Royal Hashemite Court of Jordan alluded that King Abdullah would be attending the Sun Valley conference.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 13 July 2023
Rosen was an obsessive student of Dylan, but as the title alludes, the album also embodies an attempt at psychological reconciliation.
—James Reich, SPIN, 8 June 2023
Some of the 18 choices to which the White House summary alludes would keep the banks as intermediaries.
—Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 5 May 2023
Rivera alluded that her outburst toward Gaete might be only part of the reason she was fired.
—Wendy Geller, Peoplemag, 28 Apr. 2023
Her 'Absolutely Wrecked' The Big Bang Theory alum also shared photos of her daughter Matilda and alluded that the 8-week-old also helped Mom out in her own way.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 31 May 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'allude.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing allude
Dictionary Entries Near allude
Cite this Entry
“Allude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allude. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on allude
Nglish: Translation of allude for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of allude for Arabic Speakers
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