alleged

adjective

al·​leged ə-ˈlejd  -ˈle-jəd 

1

: accused but not proven or convicted

an alleged burglar

2

: asserted to be true or to exist

an alleged miracle

an alleged conspiracy

3

: questionably true or of a specified kind : supposed, so-called

bought an alleged antique vase

allegedly

ə-ˈle-jəd-lē 

adverb

She allegedly stole the money. [=she is alleged to have stolen the money]

Examples of alleged in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Police released surveillance footage and photos showing the alleged gunman, who was wearing dark clothes and a mask. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 5 Dec. 2024

Trump and 18 others pleaded not guilty last year to all charges in a sweeping racketeering indictment for alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia. —Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 4 Dec. 2024

An additional alleged co-conspirator, who worked as an intelligence analyst for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, denied wrongdoing and his case is proceeding to trial. —E.d. Cauchi, CBS News, 4 Dec. 2024

The convictions came after yearslong investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice and Republicans in Congress into alleged crimes committed by members of the Biden family. —Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of allege

First Known Use

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Legal Definition

alleged

adjective

al·​leged ə-ˈlejd, -ˈle-jəd 

1

: asserted to be true

especially : stated in an allegation

alleged crimes

2

: accused but not yet proven or convicted

trial of alleged war criminals

—R. G. Neumann