Escape, either physically or mentally:
— The thief eluded the police.

synonyms: bilk, evade.

Roget 477: judge intuitively, judge by intuition; hazard a proposition, hazard a guess, talk at random.    reason ill, falsely etc. adj.; misjudge etc. 481; paralogize^†.    take on faith, take as a given; assume (supposition) 514.    pervert, quibble; equivocate, mystify, evade, elude; gloss over, varnish; misteach etc. 538^†; mislead etc. (error) 495; cavil, refine, subtilize^†, split hairs; misrepresent etc. (lie) 544.    beg the question, reason in a circle, reason in circles, assume the conclusion.    cut blocks with a razor, beat about the bush, play fast and loose, play fast and loose with the facts, blow hot and cold, prove that black is white and white black, travel out of the record, parler a tort et a travers [Fr.], put oneself out of court, not have a leg to stand on.    judge hastily, shoot from the hip, jump to conclusions (misjudgment) 481.    ... show more

Roget 773: fail, neglect, omit, elude, evade, give the go-by to, set aside, ignore; shut one's eyes to, close one's eyes to.    infringe, transgress, violate, pirate, break, trample under foot, do violence to, drive a coach and six through.    discard, protest, repudiate, fling to the winds, set at naught, nullify, declare null and void; cancel etc. (wipe off) 552.    retract, go back from, be off, forfeit, go from one's word, palter; stretch a point, strain a point.    ... show more

Be incomprehensible to; escape understanding by:
— What you are seeing in him eludes me.

synonym: escape.

Roget 671: escape, scape; make one's escape, effect one's escape, make good one's escape; break jail; get off, get clear off, get well out of; echapper belle [Fr.], save one's bacon, save one's skin; weather the storm etc. (safe) 664; escape scot-free.    elude &c., make off etc. (avoid) 623; march off etc. (go away) 293; give one the slip; slip through the hands, slip through the fingers; slip the collar, wriggle out of prison, break out, break loose, break loose from prison; break away, slip away, get away; find vent, find a hole to creep out of.    disappear, vanish.    ... show more

Dutch: ontgaan

Avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues).

synonyms: circumvent, dodge, duck, evade, fudge, hedge, parry, put off, sidestep, skirt.

Roget 731: succeed; be successful etc. adj.; gain one's end, gain one's ends; crown with success.    gain a point, attain a point, carry a point, secure a point, win a point, win an object; get there [U.S.]; manage to, contrive to; accomplish etc. (effect) (complete) 729; do wonders, work wonders; make a go of it.    come off well, come off successful, come off with flying colors; make short work of; take by storm, carry by storm; bear away the bell; win one's wings, win one's spurs, win the battle; win the day, carry the day, gain the day, gain the prize, gain the palm; have the best of it, have it all one's own way, have the game in one's owns hands, have the ball at one's feet, have one on the hop; walk over the course; carry all before one, remain in possession of the field; score a success.    speed; make progress etc. (advance) 282; win one's way, make one's way, work one's way, find one's way; strive to some purpose; prosper etc. 734; drive a roaring trade; make profit etc. (acquire) 775; reap the fruits, gather the fruits, reap the benefit of, reap the harvest; strike oil [U.S.], gain a windfall; make one's fortune, get in the harvest, turn to good account; turn to account etc. (use) 677.    triumph, be triumphant; gain a victory, obtain a victory, gain an advantage; chain victory to one's car; nail a coonskin to the wall.    surmount a difficulty, overcome a difficulty, get over a difficulty, get over an obstacle etc. 706; se tirer d'affaire [Fr.]; make head against; stem the torrent, stem the tide, stem the current; weather the storm, weather a point; turn a corner, keep one's head above water, tide over; master; get the better of, have the better of, gain the better of, gain the best of, gain the upper hand, gain the ascendancy, gain the whip hand, gain the start of; distance; surpass etc. (superiority) 33.    defeat, conquer, vanquish, discomfit; euchre; overcome, overthrow, overpower, overmaster, overmatch, overset^†, override, overreach; outwit, outdo, outflank, outmaneuver, outgeneral, outvote; take the wind out of one's adversary's sails; beat, beat hollow; rout, lick, drub, floor, worst; put down, put to flight, put to the rout, put hors de combat [Fr.], put out of court.    silence, quell, nonsuit^†, checkmate, upset, confound, nonplus, stalemate, trump; baffle etc. (hinder) 706; circumvent, elude; trip up, trip up the heels of; drive into a corner, drive to the wall; run hard, put one's nose out of joint.    settle, do for; break the neck of, break the back of; capsize, sink, shipwreck, drown, swamp; subdue; subjugate etc. (subject) 749; reduce; make the enemy bite the dust; victimize, roll in the dust, trample under foot, put an extinguisher upon.    answer, answer the purpose; avail, prevail, take effect, do, turn out well, work well, take, tell, bear fruit; hit it, hit the mark, hit the right nail on the head; nick it; turn up trumps, make a hit; find one's account in.    ... show more

Roget 623: abstain, refrain, spare, not attempt; not do etc. 681; maintain the even tenor of one's way.    eschew, keep from, let alone, have nothing to do with; keep aloof keep off, stand aloof, stand off, hold aloof, hold off; take no part in, have no hand in.    avoid, shun; steer clear of, keep clear of; fight shy of; keep one's distance, keep at a respectful distance; keep out of the way, get out of the way; evade, elude, turn away from; set one's face against etc. (oppose) 708; deny oneself.    shrink back; hang back, hold back, draw back; recoil etc. 277; retire etc. (recede) 287; flinch, blink, blench, shy, shirk, dodge, parry, make way for, give place to.    beat a retreat; turn tail, turn one's back; take to one's heels; runaway, run for one's life; cut and run; be off like a shot; fly, flee; fly away, flee away, run away from; take flight, take to flight; desert, elope; make off, scamper off, sneak off, shuffle off, sheer off; break away, tear oneself away, slip away, slink away, steel away, make away from, scamper away from, sneak away from, shuffle away from, sheer away from; slip cable, part company, turn one's heel; sneak out of, play truant, give one the go by, give leg bail, take French leave, slope, decamp, flit, bolt, abscond, levant, skedaddle, absquatulat [U.S.], cut one's stick, walk one's chalks, show a light pair of heels, make oneself scarce; escape etc. 671; go away etc. (depart) 293; abandon etc. 624; reject etc. 610.    lead one a dance, lead one a pretty dance; throw off the scent, play at hide and seek.    ... show more

Dutch: drukken, omzeilen