eluded
Gave the slip
Eluded is the past tense of elude, meaning to escape or avoid, often by cleverness or agility.
A suspect eludes capture; an answer eludes someone who can't quite remember.
The meaning of the poem eluded me.
He eluded his pursuers by ducking into an alley.
What eludes you stays just out of reach.
Avoided by quick movement
- sidesteppedAvoided by moving aside
- circumventedEvaded by going around
- skirtedAvoided by going around
- bypassedWent around an obstacle
shunned · evaded · ducked · deflected · parried · outmaneuvered · fended off · warded off
Escaped from danger
- evadedSuccessfully avoided capture
- slipped awayDeparted unnoticed
- got awaySuccessfully evaded capture
- outranBeat in speed
absconded · bolted · vanished · disappeared · fugitive · breakout · extricated · decamped
Impossible to seize
- slipperyLacking friction, hard-to-grasp
- fleetingPassing very quickly
- ephemeralLasting very briefly
- transientTemporary, soon departing
just out of reach · will-o-wisp · mercurial · quicksilver · evanescent · ineffable · indefinable · nebulous
Confused by something unclear
- mystifiedUtterly unable to understand
- confoundedThoroughly puzzled or frustrated
- perplexedThoroughly confused, uncertain
- stumpedUnable to solve
befuddled · bewildered · flummoxed · stymied · incomprehensible · inexplicable · unfathomable · inscrutable
Failed to recall
- blankedMade empty or void
- fadedLost original color
- hazy memoryIndistinct mental impression
- forgottenNo longer recalled
dodged
Avoided by quick movement
- sidesteppedAvoided by moving aside
- circumventedEvaded by going around
- skirtedAvoided by going around
bypassed · shunned · evaded · ducked · deflected · parried · outmaneuvered · fended off · warded off · averted
fled
Escaped from danger
- evadedSuccessfully avoided capture
- slipped awayDeparted unnoticed
- got awaySuccessfully evaded capture
outran · absconded · bolted · vanished · disappeared · fugitive · breakout · extricated · decamped · shook off
ungraspable
Impossible to seize
transient · just out of reach · will-o-wisp · mercurial · quicksilver · evanescent · ineffable · indefinable · nebulous · hazy
puzzled
Confused by something unclear
- mystifiedUtterly unable to understand
- confoundedThoroughly puzzled or frustrated
- perplexedThoroughly confused, uncertain
stumped · befuddled · bewildered · flummoxed · stymied · incomprehensible · inexplicable · unfathomable · inscrutable · enigmatic
forgot
Failed to recall
- blankedMade empty or void
- fadedLost original color
- hazy memoryIndistinct mental impression
- disappearedvanished, disappeared, gone, vanish, faded
eludedconfronted
Challenged or opposed directly
faced · encountered · met · engaged · tackled
eludedgrasped
Clutched or understood
understood · comprehended · mastered · fathomed · apprehended