# elope

> English word · Verb · IPA /ɪˈləʊp/ · frequency rank #52,921

## Definitions
1. Of a married or engaged person, to run away from home with a paramour.
2. Of an unmarried person, to run away secretly for the purpose of getting married with one's intended spouse; to marry in a quick or private fashion, especially without a public period of engagement.
3. To run away from home (for any reason).

## Etymology
From Anglo-Norman aloper (“to abduct, run away”), itself borrowed from Proto-West Germanic *andihlaupan (“to run away”). Equivalent to and- + lope as well as and- + leap (these being doublets). More at lope.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/elope