allege
Americanverb (used with object)
-
alleges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
alleged,
past participle, past
-
alleging
present participle
-
to assert without proof.
-
to declare with positiveness; affirm; assert.
to allege a fact.
- Synonyms:
- aver, asseverate, state
- Antonyms:
- deny
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to declare before a court or elsewhere, as if under oath.
- Synonyms:
- attest
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to plead in support of; offer as a reason or excuse.
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Archaic. to cite or quote in confirmation.
verb
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to declare in or as if in a court of law; state without or before proof
he alleged malpractice
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to put forward (an argument or plea) for or against an accusation, claim, etc
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archaic to cite or quote, as to confirm
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
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allegernoun
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misallegeverb (used with object)
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preallegeverb (used with object)
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reallegeverb (used with object)
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allegeableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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allegesimple
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allegessimple
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have allegedperfect
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has allegedperfect
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am allegingprogressive
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are allegingprogressive
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is allegingprogressive
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have been allegingperfect progressive
-
has been allegingperfect progressive
Past
-
allegedsimple
-
had allegedperfect
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was allegingprogressive
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were allegingprogressive
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had been allegingperfect progressive
Future
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing allege
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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:
“The facts provided by Jane Doe’s statement do not allege that she was either rendered incapable of controlling her own conduct or that any drug was administered to her without her consent,” he stated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Prosecutors allege that he used classified intelligence to "draft an analysis" for one foreign intelligence service and maintained contact with another foreign spying service.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
It’s slander to allege that he’s above us, just because he’s been one of the richest people on the face of the planet.
From Slate ● Oct. 3, 2026
“The facts provided by Jane Doe’s statement do not allege that she was either rendered incapable of controlling her own conduct or that any drug was administered to her without her consent.”
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 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
Stewart “concluded that the works contain substantial similarities in protectable musical expression, including repeated copying of the distinctively protectable melody,” the complaint alleges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
The criminal complaint alleges that on 21 September, an Ole Miss student was found dead in his dorm room.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
A separate lawsuit is scheduled for next year in which Sheila Katerelos, 56, alleges she suffered a traumatic brain injury on the ride in 2020.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
The lawsuit alleges that the department is violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act by leaving canceled loan balances on credit reports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 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
Saunders was acquitted by the jury of alleged offences against a third young man.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
He hadn’t been given the investigative report before his hearing, he alleged, and wasn’t allowed to cross-examine his accuser.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
His “real 1%” of alleged non-weirdos is just not enough people to staff a modern military, especially in times of war.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
Separately, Fields alleged that she was informed that then-Acting Deputy Atty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Some alleged calendrical devices may just possibly be due to chance—an accidental alignment of window and niche on June 21, say.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Joby filed a suit late last year alleging corporate espionage against Archer and George Kivork, a former Joby employee who left to work for Archer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
The plaintiffs are alleging that Starbucks has violated false advertising laws in New York, California, and Washington, where the company is headquartered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
According to the Scottish Sun,, external the Marshall family are now suing Gray for a six-figure sum, alleging negligence.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Reuters earlier Wednesday reported that 15 U.S. states are suing Corteva alleging that Vylor was designed to shield Corteva’s prime assets from billions of dollars in possible liabilities tied to PFAS, or man-made “forever chemicals.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
A Ministry official emerged some time after the appearance of the Dark Mark alleging that nobody had been hurt, but refusing to give any more information.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
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.
