1
Core action
Refer to someone or something indirectly rather than naming or explaining it explicitly.
Example
The poem alludes to a well-known Greek myth.
allude
/əˈluːd/ · uh-LOODverb
Refer to someone or something indirectly rather than naming or explaining it explicitly.
Use allude to express this relationship precisely: refer to someone or something indirectly rather than naming or explaining it explicitly.
What allude Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Common construction
Use this expression in its normal grammatical frame so the relationship between the surrounding ideas remains explicit.
Example
She alluded to the dispute without identifying either participant.
3
Reasoning effect
It tells the reader how to interpret the timing, scope, evidence, contrast, condition, or consequence in the statement.
Example
The title alludes to a phrase from an earlier novel.
Use allude Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The poem alludes to a well-known Greek myth.
She alluded to the dispute without identifying either participant.
The title alludes to a phrase from an earlier novel.
Precision Matters
Allude overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
allude
vs.Means refer to someone or something indirectly rather than naming or explaining it explicitly.
allege
Means claim or declare that something is true, typically without yet providing proof.
allude
vs.Means refer to someone or something indirectly rather than naming or explaining it explicitly.
interpret
Means explain, understand, or assign meaning or significance to information, language, evidence, or events.
allude
vs.Means refer to someone or something indirectly rather than naming or explaining it explicitly.
debunk
Means expose or prove a belief, claim, theory, or story to be false or exaggerated.
allude
vs.Means refer to someone or something indirectly rather than naming or explaining it explicitly.
imply
Means suggest, indicate, or communicate something indirectly without stating it explicitly.
Test allude in Context
The reference is indirect rather than explicit.
1
Without naming the banned book, the speaker seemed to ___ to its famous final sentence.