allege

allege — verb

1. to publicly state, often in a legal or news context, that someone has acted wron

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to publicly state, often in a legal or news context, that someone has acted wrongly or that a fact is true, while not yet showing the evidence to back this up.

Example

Prosecutors allege that Mr. Becker hid company funds in three offshore accounts.

allege + that-clause introducing the wrongdoing

The factory workers are alleged to have been paid less than the legal minimum wage.

passive: be alleged to + perfect infinitive

Common collocations
  • allege wrongdoing
  • allege fraud
  • allege misconduct
  • allege abuse
  • be alleged to have
  • widely alleged
  • as alleged
Synonyms
  • claim

    neutral and everyday; lacks the legal/journalistic flavour of allege

  • assert

    stresses confidence; doesn't imply the claim is unproved

  • accuse

    names the wrongdoer directly ('accuse someone of'); allege focuses on the act

  • contend

    formal, used in argument or court; emphasises a position being defended

Antonyms
  • prove

    to back a claim with evidence — the opposite stage of an allegation

  • deny

    to reject the allegation

Grammar Patterns

allege + that-clause

be alleged to + bare infinitive

alleged + noun

Usage Note

Frequently passive in news writing: 'X is alleged to have done Y' lets the reporter pass on a claim without endorsing it. The object is almost always a clause or a wrongdoing-noun (fraud, abuse, misconduct), rarely an ordinary thing or person on its own.

Common Mistakes

The witness alleged the suspect.
The witness alleged that the suspect had stolen the car.
allege needs a clause or an action-noun as its object, not just a person.
He alleged to steal the money.
He is alleged to have stolen the money.
the to-infinitive pattern only works in the passive: 'be alleged to + V'.
She alleged about the manager's behaviour.
She made allegations about the manager's behaviour.
allege does not take 'about'; use the noun 'allegation' for that frame.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five verbs cover the act of putting forward something as true, but they differ in tone and what they imply about evidence. 'Allege' is the formal, often legal or journalistic choice and quietly signals that proof has not yet been shown — newspapers prefer it to avoid sounding as if they have judged the case. 'Claim' is the everyday neutral word: a child can claim the last cookie. 'Assert' stresses the speaker's confidence and is common in academic writing, with no hint that the statement is unproven. 'Accuse' points the finger at a named person and uses the frame 'accuse someone of doing something'. 'Contend' fits courtroom or debate contexts where a side is defending a position. Compare: 'The reporter alleged corruption' (careful, pre-trial), 'She accused him of lying' (direct attack), 'The lawyer contended that the contract was void' (argued in court).

allege ↗claim ↗assert ↗accuse ↗contend ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be alleged to have done
  • as alleged
  • it is alleged that

Prepositions

  • against (allegations against someone)

Etymology

LatinAnglo-FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Allege came into Middle English in the 1300s from Anglo-French 'aleger', meaning to clear or justify. Its modern legal flavour was shaped by an early confusion with Latin 'allegare', meaning to send for or cite as a witness. By the 1500s the verb had settled into its current sense: to put forward a claim or charge that still needs to be proved. The related noun 'allegation' followed the same path and is now the standard word for a formal but unproven accusation.