allege

To allege is to make an accusation or claim, especially about a crime or wrongdoing. The word often implies that the thing claimed has not been confirmed or proven or that the claim has been made without proof or before proof is available.

Forms of allege include the adjective alleged, the adverb allegedly, and the noun allegation (meaning an accusation or claim).

Allege is most commonly used in a legal context and in journalism in reports about crime or other wrongdoing before it has been proven or before someone has been convicted. Using the word alleged allows journalists to talk about allegations without seeming to presume guilt (and getting sued for libel).

Example: Investigators are alleging that Mr. Jones stole from the company over a period of 15 years.

The first records of allege come from around 1300. It ultimately comes from the Latin verb allēgāre, meaning “to dispatch on a mission” or “bring forward as evidence.” The leg part of allege comes from the root lēx-, which means “law” and forms the basis of words like legal.

Allege is almost always used in a legal context. It’s typically used when making an accusation that has yet to be proved in a court of law. In many jurisdictions, the law states that a person is innocent until proven guilty. That means that if someone is accused of committing a crime—even if the whole thing was caught on video—they’re not considered guilty until they’re convicted by a jury. Until that happens, journalists use the word allege to refer to claims about what has supposedly been done.

Allege is most often used to refer to an action done by a person, as in Police allege that the theft occurred overnight or My client alleges that the defendant attacked him. But like the word claim, it can also be used with things, such as documents, as in The lawsuit alleges a long history of abuse or The charges allege that the theft occurred overnight.

What are some other forms related to allege?

• alleged (adjective)
• allegedly (adjective)
• allegation (noun)

What are some synonyms for allege?

• claim
• purport

What are some words that share a root or word element with allege? 

• legal
• legitimate

What are some words that often get used in discussing allege?

• commit
• accuse
• accusation
• perpetrator
• supposed
• crime
• evidence
• proof
• convicted

Allege is most commonly used in journalism in reports about crimes.

This morning a black mother and her son who live in Creve Coeur filed a civil rights lawsuit against the City of Des Peres alleging police brutality over an incident at Sam’s Club on March 23. There is video of the event.

— Tony Messenger (@tonymess) May 18, 2020

"The charges allege that as many as 90 guns purchased through https://t.co/t25KAqmKZi wound up on the streets of Chicago, including one that was recovered during an armed carjacking and others found during narcotics and gang investigations." https://t.co/fXLUH0md82

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) May 15, 2018

Non-AJ defendants have repeatedly alleged torture in custody. Judge tells court that medical examinations show no signs of torture. #AJtrial

— Louisa Loveluck (@leloveluck) March 31, 2014

Which of the following words is LEAST likely to be used to describe something that is alleged to have happened?

A. purported
B. definite
C. possible
D. claimed