allegation

allegation — noun

1. a public claim that someone has acted wrongly or broken the law, where the speak

1.nounC1
Definition

a public claim that someone has acted wrongly or broken the law, where the speaker has not yet shown evidence to back the claim up.

Example

Mayor Chen rejected the allegation that he had taken money from a building company.

allegation + that-clause naming the alleged wrongdoing

The newspaper printed serious allegations of fraud against three bank managers.

allegations of + noun, allegations against + person

Common collocations
  • deny the allegation
  • reject the allegation
  • face allegations of
  • false allegation
  • serious allegation
  • investigate allegations
  • unfounded allegation
Synonyms
  • accusation

    more general; can be private or public, while 'allegation' usually implies a public, formal claim still without proof

  • claim

    neutral; does not strongly suggest wrongdoing the way 'allegation' does

  • charge

    stronger and often legal; can mean an official statement made by police or a court

Antonyms
  • proof

    evidence that settles the question, the opposite of an unsupported claim

  • admission

    a statement by the accused person agreeing they did the act

Grammar Patterns

allegation + that-clause

allegation of + noun/-ing

allegations against + person

Usage Note

Often used in news, legal, and formal contexts. The speaker is reporting that a claim has been made, not confirming it is true; pair with verbs such as deny, reject, investigate, or face rather than confirm.

Common Mistakes

The allegation is true that he stole the bag.
The allegation that he stole the bag is true.
keep the that-clause directly after 'allegation', not split by the verb.
She made an allegation for cheating.
She made an allegation of cheating.
the noun describing the wrong act follows 'of', not 'for'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe a statement that someone has done something wrong, but they differ in formality and weight. 'Allegation' is the most formal and is the standard word in news reports, legal contexts, and HR investigations; it strongly suggests the claim has not yet been proved. 'Accusation' is the everyday word and can range from a child saying 'You ate my cake!' to a serious public claim. 'Claim' is neutral and does not always involve wrongdoing — you can claim a prize or claim that a film is boring. 'Charge' is the strongest and is usually official, made by police or a court. Compare: 'a child's accusation', 'a journalist's allegation', 'a police charge'.

allegation ↗accusation ↗claim ↗charge ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • make an allegation
  • deny an allegation
  • face allegations
  • investigate the allegations
  • false allegation
  • serious allegation
  • unfounded allegation

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinLate LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Comes from Latin 'allegare', meaning to send word or to put forward a claim, formed from 'ad-' (to) and 'legare' (to send or appoint). It moved into Late Latin as 'allegatio' (a sending forward of a statement), then into Old French and Middle English in the 1400s. From the start, the English word carried the courtroom flavour of a statement put forward but not yet proved, which is why we still use it today for unproven public claims.