verb
elope
ih-LOHP/ɪˈləʊp/
To go away with a romantic partner to marry secretly or without a formal wedding.
They elope to Las Vegas instead of planning a big wedding.
Etymology
Elope originally meant “run off,” later narrowing to running away to marry against parental authority. A Middle Dutch origin is probable, but an Anglo-French verb for leaving a husband with a lover complicates that ancestry.
In context
the young star-crossed lovers are hoping to elope to scotland
More examples
- My grandparents eloped because their families opposed the marriage.
- We're thinking of eloping rather than hosting a large ceremony.
- She wants to elope without telling anyone until they're married.
Forms
elope · elopes · eloped · eloping
elopement noun — Leaving with a partner to marry privately.