allegation

noun al·le·ga·tion \ ˌa-li-ˈgā-shən \

Definition of allegation

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

Glass, a lawyer by trade, explained the university had investigated the allegations and found no wrongdoing but also acknowledged that practices deemed acceptable at other schools didn’t necessarily meet Indiana’s standard.

— michael marot, The Seattle Times, "Former Indiana coach makes return appearance with Buckeyes," 30 Aug. 2017
Of course, the parcel never would have been sold at auction if not for San Diego Hospice’s run in with the federal government which, due to a whistleblower complaint, was investigating allegations of Medicare overbilling.

— paul sisson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Scripps to shutter its hospice service," 30 Aug. 2017
The lawsuit, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, sought to force DCS to reduce the caseloads handled by its workers, who investigate allegations of abuse and neglect and manage ongoing child welfare cases.

— marisa kwiatkowski, Indianapolis Star, "Indiana Supreme Court says it can't force DCS to comply with caseload limits," 29 Aug. 2017
If the allegations of foul play are proven then the perpetrators must be brought to justice.

— j. weston phippen, The Atlantic, "Is This the End of Duterte's Drug War?," 24 Aug. 2017
The daycare, which is believed to be Little Learners of Florissant, did not respond to attempts to contact them regarding the allegation that one of their employees is responsible, according to WBRC.

— malaika jabali, Essence.com, "Parents Demand Answers After Daycare Duct-Tapes 4-Year-Old Girl To Chair," 22 Aug. 2017
Now 34, Ybarra has been a fugitive since May 2014, when police announced he was wanted on obstruction of justice allegations.

— ken daley, NOLA.com, "Murder trial begins for Horatio Johnson, accused killer of drowned Reserve couple," 21 Aug. 2017
The suit lists a litany of charges — including allegations of criminal wrongdoing — against the Rashaed operation.

— cary spivak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "City Hall asks court to order notorious Milwaukee landlord out of rental business," 18 Aug. 2017
The affidavit also outlined the accuser’s plan to orchestrate a story to police to in order to corroborate her false allegation of assault.

— clarence e. hill jr., star-telegram, "Ezekiel Elliott’s reps blast NFL inaccuracies, plan appeal," 11 Aug. 2017

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.