allegation

noun al·le·ga·tion \ ˌa-li-ˈgā-shən \

|Updated on: 16 Jul 2018

Examples: allegation in a Sentence

1 : the act of alleging something

2 : a positive assertion especially of misconduct

Some former colleagues have made serious allegations against him.

; specifically : a statement by a party to a legal action of what the party undertakes to prove

3 : an assertion unsupported and by implication regarded as unsupportable

See allegation defined for English-language learners

See allegation defined for kids

Examples of allegation in a Sentence

The police are investigating allegations that the mayor has accepted bribes.
There have been allegations of fraud in the city government.
You're making a serious allegation. Do you have any proof?

Recent Examples of allegation from the Web

Mr Pruitt was facing over a dozen federal investigations into allegations of unethical behaviour, and had run up a huge travel bill from flying first class.

— The Economist, "Politics this week," 12 July 2018
While some find the child abuse claim helpful in solving the mystery that was Whitney Houston, others, like her mother Cissy and Dee Dee’s sister Dionne Warwick, find the allegations in the film painful, exploitative and hard to believe.

— janine rubenstein, PEOPLE.com, "Whitney Houston's Mother Expresses 'Horror' Over Claims Singer Was Molested by Dee Dee Warwick," 11 July 2018
Ayers has denied the allegations in Barnes’ complaint, which also involve Greitens’ political nonprofit, A New Missouri Inc.

— bryan lowry, kansascity, "VP Pence tears into McCaskill, shrugs off disruptions at KC event," 11 July 2018
Image The resignation of the top executive at Billboard magazine was announced on Wednesday, amid an investigation into how the publication handled coverage of harassment allegations in the music industry.

— ben sisario, New York Times, "Top Executive Leaves Billboard Amid Examination of Coverage," 11 July 2018
Levine, though, quashed the allegations in court with little trouble.

— david smiley, joey flechas and danny rivero, miamiherald, "Hustle and Flow: How Philip Levine made the money that’s financing his bid for governor," 10 July 2018
Without that charge, Mr. Weinstein’s attorneys might have moved to try the separate allegations in front of two different juries, Mr. Galluzzo said.

— corinne ramey, WSJ, "Harvey Weinstein Pleads Not Guilty to Latest Sex-Crime Charges," 9 July 2018
The committee’s key tasks include reviewing police investigations into allegations of misconduct against officers and making policy recommendations for the Police Department.

— david hernandez, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Residents angry over death of man arrested by police call for full staffing of review board," 9 July 2018
Details of the allegations in that warrant were not immediately available.

— doug phillips, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Singer Chris Brown arrested in South Florida," 6 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'allegation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of allegation

see allege

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

ALLEGATION Defined for English Language Learners

allegation

noun

: a statement saying that someone has done something wrong or illegal

ALLEGATION Defined for Kids

allegation

noun al·le·ga·tion \ ˌa-li-ˈgā-shən \

: a statement that is not supported by proof and that usually accuses someone of wrongdoing

Law Dictionary

allegation

noun al·le·ga·tion \ ˌa-lə-ˈgā-shən \

1 : the act of alleging

2 a : a statement not yet proven

allegations in an affidavit

b : a statement by a party to a lawsuit of what the party will attempt to prove : averment — compare accusation, indictment, information, proof

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See words that rhyme with allegation Spanish Central: Translation of allegation Nglish: Translation of allegation for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of allegation for Arabic speakers

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allegation

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