allegation

[al-i-gey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of alleging; affirmation.

   Synonyms: contention, claim, accusation, charge

2. an assertion made with little or no proof.

   Synonyms: contention, claim, accusation, charge

3. an assertion made by a party in a legal proceeding, which the party then undertakes to prove.

4. a statement offered as a plea, excuse, or justification.

allegation

/ ˌælɪˈɡeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of alleging

2. an unproved statement or assertion, esp one in an accusation

Other Word Forms

• misallegation noun
• nonallegation noun
• preallegation noun
• reallegation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of allegation¹

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; legal ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

A student cricket club in Cardiff has been suspended following allegations of "degrading" behaviour during a social event.

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The clubs launched legal action against the BBF in the high court, while UK sports minister Stephanie Peacock reportedly asked the government body responsible for elite funding, UK Sport, to investigate the allegations.

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Rumors of an intimate relationship between Smith and Buster, and of the Murdaughs’ involvement in his death, swirled, but Buster denied the allegations.

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The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the UK's train operators, said every allegation will be "taken seriously".

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But he fell out of favour following allegations of cronyism and corruption, which he denied.

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Related Words

• accusation 
• charge 
• claim 
• plea 
• statement 

When To Use

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.