allegation
Americannoun
-
allegations
plural
-
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:
In February, Khan's lawyer said his client had 15% vision left in his right eye after prison authorities failed to take action - an allegation the government disputed.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Fans of Hayden Panettiere are calling out Neutrogena following the actress’s death Sunday over her allegation that the skincare brand dropped her for publicly discussing her postpartum depression.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
There is no allegation more serious that can be levelled at an academic.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
In an interview with investigators, according to the D.A. memo, Giandomenico said he believed the allegation was unfounded and suggested it may have been motivated by internal politics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
After months of frustration, failure, and growing public scorn, Sheriff Thomas Tate, ABI lead investigator Simon Benson, and the district attorney's investigator, Larry Ikner, decided to arrest Walter McMillian based primarily on Ralph Myers's allegation.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
“These allegations and insinuations are desperate and absurd,” a spokesman for Harris said to The Wall Street Journal at the time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
Flying Food Group said it “strongly disputes” allegations of retaliation and said that it promptly investigated the claims and ultimately terminated the supervisor involved.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Duke has said it is reviewing the allegations and is committed to following the law.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
The emphatic pushback from Gomez may reflect a concern for her reputation but it also leaves her mother in the hot-seat, facing the fraud allegations alongside the company itself and a third co-founder.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
A few days before the capital murder charges against McMillian were made public, Myers summoned police investigators and told them his allegations against McMillian weren't true.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
