allege

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“
And if there were no other reason to allege, that is enough to condemn them.

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Definitions (11)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. transitive verb To assert to be true; affirm: alleging his innocence of the charge.
  2. transitive verb To assert without or before proof: The indictment alleges that the commissioner took bribes.
  3. transitive verb To state (a plea or excuse, for example) in support or denial of a claim or accusation: The defendant alleges temporary insanity.
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Examples (50)

  • Chairman and real estate magnate Sam Zell, who federal prosecutors allege was the target of a Blagojevich scheme to extract campaign contributions. —  Law.com - Newswire
  • Many viewers claim you can see a boy standing in the window in the background who they allege is the ghost of a child who died in the house where the film was made. —  UGO.com - UnderGroundOnline
  • If we had been the kind of greedy imperialist power that America's critics allege, then why did we establish flourishing independent republics and nations like Japan, Germany, the Philippines, South Korea -- nations that we once occupied? —  The Jawa Report
  • Sources say it is unfair to allege, as several have done, that he has done it on the eve of elections merely to embarrass the political executive —  The Indian National Interest
  • Thus began what prosecutors allege was the nine-hour ordeal that led to the arrest of the former deputy. —  Sex Offender Issues
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

Used in the same contextWord Family

allege:   alleging ·  alleged ·  alleges
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English alleggen, from Old French alegier, to vindicate, justify (influenced by aleguer, to give a reason), from esligier, to pay a fine, justify oneself, from Late Latin *exlītigāre, to clear at law : Latin ex-, out; see ex- + Latin lītigāre, to sue; see litigate.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Early modern English also alledge, alleage, alleadge, from Middle English aleggen, alegen, from Anglo-French aleger, alegier, aligier (from Law L. adlegiare), in form = Old French esligier (from Middle Latin *exlitigare, clear at law, from Latin ex, out, + litigare, sue at law: see litigate), but in sense taken as = Old French alleguer, French alléguer (a restored form for earlier Old French aleier, alaier, declare on oath, later Middle English aleye, alleye, alaye: see allay) = Spanish alegar = Provencal Portuguese allegar = Italian allegare, from Latin allegare, adlegare, send, depute, relate, mention, adduce, from ad, to, + legare, send: see legate.
  2. Early modern English also alledge, alege. from Middle English aleggen, alegen, from Old French alleger, aleger, alegier = Provencal aleujar = Italian alleggiare, from Late Latin alleviare, lighten, alleviate: see alleviate and alleve. Cf. abridge, abbreviate. The sense and the Middle English forms mixed with those of allay.
 

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/əˈlɛdʒ/
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