ENGLISH
REFERENCE

allegation

n. countable
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ˌæɫəˈɡeɪʃən// UK //ˌælɪɡˈeɪʃən// al·le·ga·tion

n. a statement that someone has done something wrong or illegal, even though it has not been proven yet. You often hear this in news stories about court cases or politics.

n. an assertion that someone has committed an illegal or dishonest act, made without proof. Typically used in legal or journalistic contexts to maintain neutrality before a verdict is reached.


SIMPLE

The company denied the allegation of fraud.

CONTEXTUAL

The committee launched a full investigation after a serious allegation of misconduct was made against the director.

COMPLEX

While the defendant maintained his innocence, the prosecution presented a series of documents intended to support the allegation that he had knowingly falsified the financial records.

Synonyms
Origin

Borrowed from Middle French allégation, from Latin allegatio, from allegare. See allege.

Usage

Often takes the preposition 'of' followed by the specific crime or 'against' followed by the person accused.

Pitfall

he made an allegation for herhe made an allegation against herAllegations are made 'against' a person or 'of' a crime; 'for' is not used in this context.

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