Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To assert to be true; affirm.
  • transitive verb To assert prior to a final determination.
  • transitive verb To state (a plea or excuse, for example) in support or denial of a claim or accusation.
  • transitive verb Archaic To bring forward as an authority.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To declare before a court; plead at law; hence, in general, to produce as an argument, plea, or excuse; cite or quote in confirmation: as, to allege exculpatory facts; to allege the authority of a court.
  • To pronounce with positiveness; declare; affirm; assert: as, to allege a fact.
  • Synonyms Adduce, Allege, Assign, etc. (see adduce), bring forward, aver, asseverate, maintain, say, insist, plead, produce, cite.
  • To alleviate; lighten; mitigate; allay.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To bring forward with positiveness; to declare; to affirm; to assert.
  • transitive verb Archaic To cite or quote.
  • transitive verb To produce or urge as a reason, plea, or excuse.
  • transitive verb obsolete To alleviate; to lighten, as a burden or a trouble.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb obsolete, transitive To state under oath, to plead.
  • verb archaic To cite or quote an author or his work for or against.
  • verb transitive To adduce (something) as a reason, excuse, support etc.
  • verb transitive To make a claim as justification or proof; to make an assertion without proof.
  • verb obsolete To lighten, diminish.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb report or maintain

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[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.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English aleggen, from Anglo-Norman aleger, the form from Old French esligier, from Medieval Latin *exlītigāre ("to clear at law"), from Latin ex ("out") + lītigō ("sue at law"), the meaning from Old French alleguer, from Latin allēgāre, present active infinitive of allēgō ("send, depute; relate, mention, adduce"), from ad ("to") + lēgō ("send").

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French alegier, from Latin alleviāre, present active infinitive of alleviō ("lighten"), from ad + levis ("light").

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Examples

  • But I think they prefer being double-minded over what they allege is narrow-minded.

    Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog: 2009

  • But I think they prefer being double-minded over what they allege is narrow-minded.

    Current Affairs 2009

  • Perhaps all members should be asked to vote, if they wish, for a code brand code brand code brand code brand code brand code brand code brand new member, by communicating with a Dean, with notice good in allege of a final count.

    Archive 2009-11-01 admin 2009

  • But I think they prefer being double-minded over what they allege is narrow-minded.

    Politics 2009

  • The 6-foot-9 energy forward was the 14th player combined to the Blazers register in allege of fall camp.

    Archive 2009-12-01 admin 2009

  • The 6-foot-9 energy forward was the 14th player combined to the Blazers register in allege of fall camp.

    howard gets another one year deal admin 2009

  • -- Members have been asked to surprise Secretary for Meetings Di Stefano which they instruct to attend a assembly during slightest twenty-four hours in allege of which meeting.

    Philadelphia Reflections: Shakspere Society of Philadelphia admin 2009

  • -- Members have been asked to surprise Secretary for Meetings Di Stefano which they instruct to attend a assembly during slightest twenty-four hours in allege of which meeting.

    Archive 2009-11-01 admin 2009

  • Perhaps all members should be asked to vote, if they wish, for a code brand code brand code brand code brand code brand code brand code brand new member, by communicating with a Dean, with notice good in allege of a final count.

    Philadelphia Reflections: Shakspere Society of Philadelphia admin 2009

  • But I think they prefer being double-minded over what they allege is narrow-minded.

    Education 2009

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