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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
Joshua Sammons, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025
In the complaint, two Midwestern companies, 8th Avenue Food & Provisions and Winland Foods alleged that several Italian companies underpriced pasta that was shipped to the United States.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 28 Nov. 2025
Prosecutors allege senior officials and Mindich arranged a kickback scheme that funneled tens of millions of dollars from contractors building defenses to protect Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
—Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 28 Nov. 2025
The lawsuit, which was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union in West Virginia, alleged that the deployment violated state law.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for allege
Cite this Entry
“Allege.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allege. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.
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allege
verb
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