elude

IPA/ɪˈluːd/
KK[ɪlˈud]IPA/ɪˈluːd/

elude — 動詞

  • eludepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • eludeshe / she / it
  • eludedpast simple
  • eluding-ing form

1. When something you are trying hard to get or achieve stays beyond your reach, it

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

無法達成

努力追求的目標卻無法實現

When something you are trying hard to get or achieve stays beyond your reach, it eludes you.

例句

A gold medal at the Olympics has so far eluded the young swimmer from Kenya.

肯亞的年輕泳將至今仍與奧運金牌無緣。

so far + present perfect for continued lack of achievement

The promotion that Amara had worked toward for years continued to elude her.

Amara 努力了好幾年的升職機會，始終未能如願。

同義詞
  • escape

    more general; can be physical or abstract (e.g. 'the answer escapes me')

  • evade

    more active; often implies deliberate avoidance

  • elude (this sense)

    specific to goals or outcomes staying beyond reach

反義詞
  • achieve

    direct opposite — to succeed in reaching a goal

  • attain

    formal opposite — to reach after effort

文法句型

goal/prize/outcome + elude + person

用法筆記

Subject is always the thing not achieved, not the person trying. Frequently appears with time phrases like 'so far', 'still', or 'for [time period]' to emphasise continued failure.

常見錯誤

❌I eluded the gold medal by one point.
✅The gold medal eluded me by one point.
💡The desired outcome is the subject in this sense; the person is the object.
❌I eluded to get the promotion.
✅The promotion eluded me.
💡'Elude' is transitive and takes the goal as subject, not the person.

2. to avoid being caught, found, or forced to deal with something, often by using s

2.動詞及物B2
釋義

躲避；逃脫

巧妙避開追捕或難題

to avoid being caught, found, or forced to deal with something, often by using skill or cleverness.

例句

The thief managed to elude the police by escaping through a bathroom window.

那名小偷從浴室窗口逃了出去，成功躲過警方追捕。

manage to + elude + [pursuer]

The rare snow leopard has eluded wildlife photographers in the Himalayas for years.

這種稀有的雪豹多年來一直躲避著喜馬拉雅山區的野生動物攝影師。

同義詞
  • evade

    very close in meaning; 'evade' often stresses cleverness or trickery more

  • avoid

    less dramatic; can be for any kind of prevention

  • dodge

    more informal; suggests quick movement or clever trick

反義詞
  • be caught

    direct opposite — to fail in escaping

文法句型

subject (fugitive/animal) + elude + pursuer

subject (person) + elude + question/responsibility

用法筆記

Unlike sense 1, the subject here is the person or thing doing the avoiding. The object is what they escape from — a person, animal, capture, detection, or difficult situation.

常見錯誤

❌The police eluded the thief.
✅The thief eluded the police.
💡The person fleeing is the subject; the pursuer is the object.

3. People use this word for a fact, name, or idea that they cannot bring to mind or

3.動詞及物B2
釋義

記不得；難懂

記不起或無法理解某事

People use this word for a fact, name, or idea that they cannot bring to mind or figure out at a given moment.

例句

The name of that lovely restaurant in Taipei still eludes me.

我還是想不起來台北那家很棒的餐廳叫什麼名字。

still + elude + person: memory failure

Why she would leave such a good job eludes everyone in the office.

辦公室裡每個人都搞不懂她為什麼要辭掉那麼好的工作。

同義詞
  • escape (one's memory)

    informal; 'the name escapes me' is very common

  • baffle

    stronger; implies complete inability to understand

  • puzzle

    softer; suggests confusion rather than blank memory

反義詞
  • remember

    direct opposite — to recall successfully

  • grasp

    to understand or comprehend

文法句型

fact/name/idea + elude + person

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: here the subject is a piece of information (name, reason, solution), not a goal or prize. The failure is in memory or understanding, not in achievement.

常見錯誤

❌I eluded his name.
✅His name eludes me.
💡The information is the subject; the person is the object.