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

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

allege alleges alleged alleging

They allege that multiple features were designed to keep minors hooked, particularly infinite scrolling, excessive notifications and "like" counts.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

Egan-Jones Ratings, based in King of Prussia, Pa., is being sued by two former employees who allege that it pressured staff to inflate ratings to gain business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Prosecutors allege that some of the items were brought into the EU from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Other lawsuits allege that employees were not given proper rest breaks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

I did not like to walk at this hour alone with Mr. Rochester in the shadowy orchard; but I could not find a reason to allege for leaving him.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

It also alleges that, even if the policy were to survive the legal test, Chino Valley did not follow its own rules.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

The claimants' lawsuit alleges Wondermind failed to meet "even its most basic obligations, such as timely paying its employees and vendors".

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

The lawsuit alleges Polestar orchestrated its recent U.S. government ban as cover for its desire to leave the American market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

The lawsuit alleges that Snap, the parent company of disappearing messaging app Snapchat, failed to disable and warn its users about “dangerous” features used by predators.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 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

State Farm relies on various outside firms to litigate policy disputes, including some stemming from alleged mishandling of claims related to the January 2025 wildfires.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

And Taylor Farms would certainly top the list for anyone glued to a toilet bowl lately, thanks to the company’s alleged indiscretion handling lettuce laced with the “explosive diarrhea” parasite.

From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026

Meta stock could take a big hit as the company faces a major trial over the alleged harms of social media.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

One of his first major campaigns challenged alleged extrajudicial killings of suspected poachers inside Kaziranga; his work later widened to evictions, land acquisition and compensation.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

The question irritated Dick, for it was part of a greater quandary, and he could not, despite the alleged perfection of his over-all design, be certain of the answer.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

In Jharkhand, the protests began after last month's preliminary civil service exam results, with some candidates alleging that answer sheets shared online showed successful applicants had answered fewer questions than expected, fuelling suspicions of manipulation.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

The Center for Biological Diversity has sued the government to block the project, alleging the waivers violated the Constitution.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

The environmental nonprofit Surfrider Foundation also filed a lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration, alleging that the FAA failed to properly assess the Boca Chica facility’s environmental impact on the local ecosystem.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

As an example of money wasted by LAHSA’s lack of financial controls, Turner cited the recent federal indictment alleging a homeless services provider fleeced the system of $23 million in fraudulent billings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 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

Related Words

• charge
• cite
• declare
• depose
• maintain
• recount
• testify