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

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 on the Web

Bill Clinton had won the White House while being dogged by allegations of infidelity. — Li Zhou, Vox, "The striking parallels between 1992’s “Year of the Woman” and 2018, explained by a historian," 2 Nov. 2018 Later, a BuzzFeed News investigation discovered that, from 2014 onward, the state obtained drugs from a compounding pharmacy in St. Louis, one that has been dogged by allegations of misconduct. — Abdullah Shihipar, Teen Vogue, "Lethal Injection Drugs and the Death Penalty, Explained," 30 Oct. 2018 Citing the allegations, the New York Chapter of the AIA rescinded honors for the firm, Cornell University declined gifts from the firm, and Sotheby’s closed an exhibition about his work. — Diana Budds, Curbed, "Richard Meier is out following sexual harassment allegations—sort of," 9 Oct. 2018 Kavanaugh becoming a lifetime Supreme Court justice in spite of his multiple assault allegations is a wounding blow to women across the country—one that pollsters predict Republican members of Congress may pay for in the midterm elections. — Jenny Hollander, Marie Claire, "Stacey Abrams' Opponent, Brian Kemp, Once Denied Funding to a Rape Crisis Center," 8 Oct. 2018 Additionally concerning are the reports that multiple people from Kavanaugh's high school and college circles who have stepped up to corroborate his accusers allegations have not been able to reach the FBI. — Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, "The FBI Says It's Investigating Brett Kavanaugh—But Is It Going to Make Any Difference?," 1 Oct. 2018 The upcoming trip was actually announced the same morning as Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's Senate hearing about her allegations against Kavanaugh. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Meghan Markle Will Visit a Charity for Sexual Assault Survivors Next Week," 27 Sep. 2018 Tristan finally broke his social media silence, but failed to address any of the cheating allegations. — Alison Caporimo, Seventeen, "Here's Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson's FULL Relationship Timeline," 26 July 2018 President Trump faces at least four allegations of criminal misconduct. — Doj, USA TODAY, "Live stream: Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein holds press conference," 13 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.