Word
allegation
Phoneticsal·le·ga·tion, stress on the third syllable
US/ˌæɫəˈɡeɪʃən/
UK/ˌælɪɡˈeɪʃən/
日本語申し立て※
Españolalegato m alegación
Countable noun
Definition
n. a claim that someone did something bad, even though it has not been proven yet.
n. an unproven assertion that someone has committed a crime or a moral error. Often used in legal or journalistic contexts to describe a charge before a verdict is reached.
Examples
“The company denied the allegation of fraud.”
“The committee launched a full investigation after a serious allegation of misconduct was made against the director.”
“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.”
Examples
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.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “allegation” in context.
Verb
01. deny the allegation
“The spokesperson was quick to deny the allegation of corruption during the press conference.”
verb + noun
02. investigate an allegation
“The police have been called in to investigate an allegation of fraud within the company.”
verb + noun
03. withdraw an allegation
“The witness decided to withdraw the allegation after new evidence came to light.”
verb + noun
Adjective
04. serious allegation
“The board is taking this serious allegation of misconduct very earnestly.”
adj + noun
05. unfounded allegation
“The minister dismissed the claims as a completely unfounded allegation designed to damage his reputation.”
adj + noun
Noun
06. allegation of misconduct
“He resigned from his post following a persistent allegation of professional misconduct.”
noun + of + noun
07. allegation that
“The court heard the allegation that the defendant had tampered with the evidence.”
noun + that-clause
Preposition
08. amid allegations of
“The CEO stepped down amid allegations of insider trading.”
prep + noun + prep
09. allegations of plagiarism
10. allegations involving
11. allegation of sexual
12. allegations of academic
Usage
Commonly used with the verbs 'make', 'deny', 'investigate', or 'withdraw'.
Teaching tip
Remind students that using 'allegation' instead of 'fact' is essential in professional writing to avoid libel or jumping to conclusions before a trial.
Pitfall
The allegation for the crime was false.
The allegation of the crime was false.
Use the preposition 'of' to connect the allegation to the specific act being claimed.
Real-World Examples
“That report made allegations about Wondermind's finances and issues with its management, according to the lawsuit.” “The investigation is said to relate to allegations of concealing or disguising donations derived from an "impermissible" donor to a party, or the use of "false" information about a donation.” “The allegations, which refer to events said to have happened between January 2024 and March this year, prompted investigations by France's foreign ministry into a potential security breach.” “The suit followed allegations by Mandalena Lewis, a former flight attendant, that a pilot had sexually assaulted her and a colleague, but that WestJet kept the pilot flying, thereby putting other employees at risk.” Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French allégation, from Latin allegatio, from allegare. See allege.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/allegation
※ 機械で選んだ訳語です。ネイティブスピーカーによる確認はまだです。
「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0