allege

American  

[uh-lej] / əˈlɛdʒ /

verb (used with object)

• alleges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• alleged,
  past participle,  past
• alleging
  present participle

1. to assert without proof.

2. to declare with positiveness; affirm; assert.

   to allege a fact.

   Synonyms:

   aver, asseverate, state

   Antonyms:

   deny

3. to declare before a court or elsewhere, as if under oath.

   Synonyms:

   attest

4. to plead in support of; offer as a reason or excuse.

5. Archaic. to cite or quote in confirmation.

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allege British  

/ əˈlɛdʒ /

verb

1. to declare in or as if in a court of law; state without or before proof

   he alleged malpractice

2. to put forward (an argument or plea) for or against an accusation, claim, etc

3. archaic to cite or quote, as to confirm

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Usage

What does allege mean? 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.

Synonym Usage

See maintain.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• alleger
  noun
• misallege
  verb (used with object)
• preallege
  verb (used with object)
• reallege
  verb (used with object)
• allegeable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• alleging
  present
• alleged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• allege
  simple
• alleges
  simple
• have alleged
  perfect
• has alleged
  perfect
• am alleging
  progressive
• are alleging
  progressive
• is alleging
  progressive
• have been alleging
  perfect progressive
• has been alleging
  perfect progressive

Past

• alleged
  simple
• had alleged
  perfect
• was alleging
  progressive
• were alleging
  progressive
• had been alleging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will allege
  simple
• will have alleged
  perfect
• will be alleging
  progressive
• will have been alleging
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of allege

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English alleg(g)en, probably from Old French aleguer, from Medieval Latin, Latin allēgāre “to adduce in support of a plea” ( see allegation), conflated with Anglo-French, Old French aleg(i)er, “to justify, free,” literally, “to lighten,” from Late Latin alleviāre “to lighten, relieve” ( see alleviate); homonymous Middle English verb alleg(g)en, with literal sense of Old French aleg(i)er, replaced by allay in 16th century

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Explanation

If you accuse someone of committing a crime but the proof of the wrongdoing isn't yet found, use the verb allege. You might allege that your sister broke a vase, just because no one else was home when you heard the crash. If you ever watch news programs, you often hear the verb allege. A reporter might say that detectives allege that a certain person, who is now being held without bail, set a fire. This can be confusing: If the person is in jail, then he or she must have set that fire, right? In reality, the person is a suspect, alleged with starting a fire, and awaiting trial. In the United States, people are assumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

allege alleges alleged alleging

In its lawsuit filed in a federal court in Tennessee, the FTC joined states including Alabama, Arizona and New Jersey to allege “pervasive and systemic pricing inaccuracies, rather than isolated or accidental errors.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026

At one point, prosecutors allege Owens sent Gillespie an ultrasound image and said she was pregnant with twins.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026

The Greenbergs allege that they rolled over the entirety of their traditional IRA accounts into the gold IRA, per Von Detten’s insistence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

Police say they will allege the incident was targeted.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

Lyons did not allege race discrimination, but if he had, that claim would almost certainly have been a loser too.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

It alleges there are disagreements among Borthwick's wider coaching group, which has been subject to frequent change in his nearly four years in charge, and concerns over the head coach's man-management skills.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

He showed Sarah a photo of handwritten notes he had signed promising not to talk about violent incidents and told her his wife controlled his social-media accounts and communications, the memo alleges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

Some people in public-service jobs are also seeing months of payments that had previously been counted toward the 120 needed for forgiveness disappear from their student-loan accounts, the suit alleges.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

But the state alleges in the lawsuit that an uncontrolled subsurface elevated temperature, or SET, has rapidly expanded within the landfill since May 2022.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

An unsubstantiated report alleges that a Ridgeback carried off a whale calf off the coast of Norway in 1802.

From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling

The woman, known anonymously as Jane Doe, is suing her former university and the fraternity over an alleged incident involving several men at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Robert Bonner, the influential former chair of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission who oversaw hearings and probes of alleged deputy gangs in that role, applauded the new policy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

The United States has imposed sanctions on dozens of companies and individuals linked to an alleged Cambodia-based cyberscam group and a network in Madagascar that targeted Americans.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

The spokesperson said the motive behind the alleged wiretapping remained unclear.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Claudia knew that he was being difficult on purpose; therefore, she read for him, “State bed—scene of the alleged murder of Amy Robsart, first wife of Lord Robert Dudley, later Earl of...”

From "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E.L. Konigsburg

Jimenez’s civil rights attorney, Greg Jackson, said he was filing suit against the federal government this week alleging malicious prosecution and abuse of process.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

They make the point that Presley’s music isn’t unique in this regard, alleging that Anthropic has done pretty much the same thing with all manner of recorded music, in blatant defiance of copyright law.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026

A department official said prosecutors are exploring whether to bring charges alleging a conspiracy to violate voters’ rights.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

An Oscar-winning executive producer claims she received a £400,000 payout from the BBC after alleging she faced antisemitic remarks from colleagues at the corporation.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

In a statement to police, Garrett Tison’s attorney claimed she received a phone call from Mr. Tison alleging that guards refused to put him in isolation despite his complaints about receiving threats.

From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone

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