allegation
Americannoun
-
the act of alleging; affirmation.
- Synonyms:
- contention, claim, accusation, charge
-
an assertion made with little or no proof.
- Synonyms:
- contention, claim, accusation, charge
-
an assertion made by a party in a legal proceeding, which the party then undertakes to prove.
-
a statement offered as a plea, excuse, or justification.
noun
-
the act of alleging
-
an unproved statement or assertion, esp one in an accusation
Usage
What does allegation mean? An allegation is an accusation or claim that something wrong has been done, especially a crime. 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. Allegation is the noun form of the verb allege, meaning to claim without proof or before proof is available. Related forms include the adjective alleged and the adverb allegedly. The word allegation is most commonly used in a legal context, especially in journalism in reports about a person who has been accused of a crime or other wrongdoing but who has not been convicted. Using the word allegation allows journalists to talk about accusations without seeming to presume guilt (and getting sued for libel). Example: We will prove that the allegations against my client are absolutely baseless.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of allegation
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin allēgātiōn- (stem of allēgātiō ), equivalent to allēgāt ( us ), past participle of allēgāre to adduce in support of a plea ( al- al- + -lēgāre, derivative of lēx law; see legal) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
An allegation is an accusation, which is sometimes true and sometimes not. If you say your sister stole a candy bar but you don't have any proof that she did it, you have made an allegation. In the legal system, an allegation is a formal claim against someone. It sparks an investigation that leads to someone being proven innocent or found guilty. In everyday use, however, an allegation is what someone thinks, whether or not there is proof. For example, if someone makes an allegation that you're a terrible driver, they might base it on their own experience, but they won't be able to prove it.
Vocabulary lists containing allegation
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
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This Week in Words: September 14–20, 2019
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Nelson Mandela "I am Prepared to Die" (1964)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A British woman has been jailed for six years in Hong Kong for blackmail and perverting the course of justice after a court found she made a false allegation of rape.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Mexican boxer Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez interpreted the scene as the Argentine captain deliberately kicking the jersey and accused him of disrespecting Mexico — an allegation that Messi denied.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
A spokeswoman for Barofsky declined to comment on that allegation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Platner called the allegation “categorically untrue,” then said he was “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward.”
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
He said the defense would challenge the allegation that Goldberg, Kathrada, Bernstein, and Mhlaba were members of Umkhonto.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Erik Haas, the firm's vice president of litigation said on Monday, external that the allegations are "meritless" and that J&J was willing to settle in order to finally resolve the matter.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Looking back, I really regret that I didn’t demand proof of serious wrongdoing before reporting so much on allegations of serious wrongdoing.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Chad's decision to leave the ICC after 20 years comes amid allegations by national and international organisations of Ndjamena's suspected involvement in the war in neighbouring Sudan between the army and paramilitaries.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
“When we heard the serious allegations … I asked, along with virtually all of his other supporters that he should get out of the race, and he did.”
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
The district court ruled that the evidence presented was sufficient to justify discovery for the purposes of determining whether the allegations of selective enforcement were valid.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
