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These days, someone alleges something before presenting evidence to prove it (or perhaps without evidence at all). But the word allege comes directly from the Middle English verb alleggen, meaning "to submit (something) in evidence or as justification." (Alleggen traces back to the Anglo-French word aleger, meaning "to lighten, free, or exculpate.") Our word has at times in the past carried a meaning closer to that of its ancestor's: it was once applied when bringing someone or something forward as a source or authority in court, as in "a text alleged in support of the argument." The word has also been used to mean "to bring forward as a reason or excuse," as in these lines from Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel Jane Eyre: "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."
Synonyms
Examples of allege in a Sentence
Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
Legal proceedings include a complaint filed by H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC, alleging breach of a tail financing provision, with Organovo defending these claims vigorously.
—Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
Oscarsson alleged a history of domestic violence between DeLao and Torres.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
Perhaps most egregious, the ACLU alleges, is that police did nothing to stop this.
—Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 6 Nov. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near allege
Cite this Entry
“Allege.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allege. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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allege
verb
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