noun · formal
allegation
/ˌælɪˈɡeɪʃən/al·le·GA·tion
a claim that someone has done something wrong, often without proof
Examples
“The newspaper published an allegation that the mayor accepted bribes.”
“Several allegations of corruption have been made against the company.”
“She denied the allegation and demanded an apology.”
Band 8 sentence
“The newspapers ran several allegations of malpractice, but prosecutors said they needed hard evidence before launching charges.”
Collocations
- make an allegation
- a serious allegation
- deny an allegation
Word family
Common mistakes
He made allegation against the manager.→He made an allegation against the manager.
They said an allegation about him.→They made an allegation about him.
Say it for a higher band
5claim→6accusation→7+allegation
Synonyms
accusation
Easily confused
accusation
“The politician denied the accusation but the story continued to attract attention.”
Related words
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In Crime & Law
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