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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.
Riis Williams, Scientific American, 13 June 2024
In the season two premiere, there are moments alluding toward the queen’s powers.
—Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 June 2024
His commentary alluded critically to NLRB regional director Laura Sacks recognizing Dartmouth College men’s basketball players as employees within the meaning of the National Labor Relations Act, and those players then unionizing.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 June 2024
Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil, Staten Island Chuck, and Georgia's General Beauregard Lee all had their shadow allude them, signaling an early spring for the masses.
—Jillian Delaney, New York Daily News, 2 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for allude 
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.
Dictionary Entries Near allude
Cite this Entry
“Allude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allude. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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