allege

[ uh-lej ]
See synonyms for: allegeallegedalleging on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),al·leged, al·leg·ing.
  1. to assert without proof.

  2. to declare with positiveness; affirm; assert: to allege a fact.

  1. to declare before a court or elsewhere, as if under oath.

  2. to plead in support of; offer as a reason or excuse.

  3. Archaic. to cite or quote in confirmation.

Origin of allege

1
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

synonym study For allege

1. See maintain.

Other words for allege

Opposites for allege

Other words from allege

  • al·lege·a·ble, adjective
  • al·leg·er, noun
  • mis·al·lege, verb (used with object), mis·al·leged, mis·al·leg·ing.
  • pre·al·lege, verb (used with object), pre·al·leged, pre·al·leg·ing.
  • re·al·lege, verb (used with object), re·al·leged, re·al·leg·ing.

Words that may be confused with allege

Words Nearby allege

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use allege in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for allege

allege

/ (əˈlɛdʒ) /


verb(tr; may take a clause as object)
  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

  1. archaic to cite or quote, as to confirm

Origin of allege

1
C14 aleggen, ultimately from Latin allēgāre to dispatch on a mission, from lēx law

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012