eloped; eloping
1
a
: to run away secretly with the intention of getting married usually without parental consent
… Waterman was a peevish child who grew into a defiant teenager, eloped at 18 largely to shock his father, and then—far too young—was a father himself.—
Elizabeth Gilbert
Elizabeth Gilbert
b
: to run away from one's spouse with a lover
" … when they had been married nearly seven years, and were within a few weeks of the time when the brother's death would have adjusted all, she eloped with a younger man, and left him."—Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens2
a
: to slip away : escape
… might have mistaken him for … some scarecrow eloped from a cornfield.—Washington Irving
Washington Irving
b
: to leave a health care or educational facility without permission or authorization
…10 suicidal patients deemed 'high risk for suicide' eloped from the Emergency Department from October 2014 and February 2015.—Charles S. Clark
Charles S. ClarkPolice in Ohio said this week that they gave a nursing home resident a ride and dropped him off at a gas station without ever knowing he was a dementia patient who had eloped.—Kimberly Marselas
Kimberly Marselas
elopement
noun
plural elopements
… the young couple at a nearby table sent over some of their dessert, a slice of cake specially ordered to celebrate their elopement.
—David Massey
David Massey
… if the child is afraid of loud noises or crowded environments, a classroom could be intimidating and cause him to be anxious. He might engage in problematic behaviors such as elopement (running away), hand flapping, or yelling …
—Erica Kearney
Erica Kearney
eloper
noun
plural elopers
And of course, Las Vegas is no longer just for elopers. With all the elegant hotels springing up in Sin City, more couples are choosing to haul the whole wedding party out and do things up right.
—John Winters
John Winters
Examples of elope in a Sentence
The couple eloped in the middle of the night.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ripa and Consuelos soon began dating and eloped to Las Vegas in 1996.
—Toria Sheffield, People.com, 19 Jan. 2025
The couple were high school sweethearts and went on to elope in 1989 at the height of Bon Jovi's fame.
—Lori A Bashian Fox News, Fox News, 27 Dec. 2024
Neil Perry of country trio The Band Perry has eloped — exchanging vows with his now-wife Sofia Sclafani on September 4 in Wyoming.
—Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 16 Sep. 2024
Wildenstein married her art dealer husband in 1978 after eloping to Las Vegas.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for elope 
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Toria Sheffield, People.com, 19 Jan. 2025
The couple were high school sweethearts and went on to elope in 1989 at the height of Bon Jovi's fame.
—Lori A Bashian Fox News, Fox News, 27 Dec. 2024
Neil Perry of country trio The Band Perry has eloped — exchanging vows with his now-wife Sofia Sclafani on September 4 in Wyoming.
—Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 16 Sep. 2024
Wildenstein married her art dealer husband in 1978 after eloping to Las Vegas.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for elope
Articles Related to elope
Dictionary Entries Near elope
Cite this Entry
“Elope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elope. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.
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