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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."
Examples of allege in a Sentence
Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
The couple’s daughter, Sibyl, then 5 months old, was one of several infants that Johnson and her co-defendant Elizabeth Augusta Wiemerslage were alleged to have abused from late 2023 into July 2024.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
The suit alleged the developers violated a development agreement and would bring pollution, noise and traffic to a nearby neighborhood.
—Karoline Leonard, Austin American Statesman, 6 Mar. 2026
The lawsuit alleges the business constitutes unlicensed gambling and that Kalshi conducts this business in Michigan without the licensing approval of the Michigan Gaming Control Board in violation of the LSBA.
—Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for allege
Cite this Entry
“Allege.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allege. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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allege
verb
