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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
Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
Officials on the chat group faced bipartisan criticism including a lawsuit from nonpartisan watchdog group American Oversight, which alleged breaches of the Federal Records Act and the Administrative Procedure Act by conducting government business on a platform which erases communications.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025
Again, the plaintiffs allege they were stripped of their student statuses unlawfully.
—Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2025
Attorneys with the American Civil Liberties Union asked the Supreme Court on Monday to clarify what kind of legal notice their clients, alleged Tren de Aragua members, should receive before they are deported under the Alien Enemies Act.
—Ashley Oliver, The Washington Examiner, 21 Apr. 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 29 Apr. 2025.
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allege
verb
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