What does eloping mean?
Eloping is the act of running away secretly to get married, usually without the knowledge or approval of family members and often without a conventional wedding ceremony. The word comes from the verb "elope," which historically could mean fleeing or escaping in general but narrowed over time almost exclusively to clandestine marriages. Couples who elope typically exchange vows with few or no witnesses, sometimes traveling to a distant location — Las Vegas in the United States or Gretna Green on the Anglo-Scottish border being famous examples. While eloping once suggested defiance of parents who opposed a match, modern usage is broader and more neutral: many couples describe themselves as eloping simply because they prefer a small, intimate, and inexpensive ceremony over a large wedding. The term is standard English in both British and American usage, appears most often as the participle in phrases like "they were caught eloping," and derives related forms including "elopement" and "eloper."
To run away secretly in order to get married, especially without parental approval or a formal wedding.
"The couple were discovered eloping across the border before their families intervened."
Always intransitive; takes "with" to name the partner.
The act of running away to marry in secret.
"Their eloping shocked the small town more than the marriage itself did."
As a gerund, functions grammatically as a noun, though the derived noun "elopement" is far more common in formal writing.
Gretna Green, just over the Scottish border, became so famous for eloping couples that 'Gretna Green marriage' became shorthand for a runaway wedding.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of eloping
The verb "elope," from which "eloping" derives, first appeared in English in the early seventeenth century meaning simply to flee or escape. Its ultimate origin is uncertain, though it has been connected to Middle Dutch and Old French verbs meaning to run away, sharing a Germanic root with the English verb "lope." By the nineteenth century the sense had narrowed to running away specifically in order to marry, and this remains the dominant meaning today. Related words from the same root include "interlope" and "interloper," both referring to intruders who thrust themselves where they do not belong.
Related word forms
How eloping is actually used
"Eloping" carries a romantic, slightly old-fashioned connotation, though it remains current for couples who marry quickly and privately without a large wedding. Historically it implied defying parental authority; today it often simply describes an intimate, low-key wedding away from home. The verb is always intransitive and takes "with" when naming the partner.
Easily confused with eloping
"Elope" is the base verb, while "eloping" is its present participle or gerund form describing the ongoing act of running away to marry.