The act of accusing something 2: a positive assertion, particularly of wrongdoing Some of his former coworkers have leveled serious claims against him. The words "allegation" and "alleged" are used to describe the same thing: a claim or charge made by someone against another. Allegations can be made about anything that is wrong or illegal. It is also possible to make allegations about yourself. Allegations are usually written with the word "alleged" followed by the person making the allegation and then the offense claimed to have been committed. For example, "John alleged cheating on the exam." Or, "John alleged that Tom stole his idea." The word "allegation" may also be used when you are answering questions in an interview. For example, if asked why he left his job, you could say, "I was accused of stealing money from the company." Here, "stealing" is the alleged offense. When you read about current events in the news, they often include allegations made by one side against the other. For example, both the FBI and the CIA have issued statements alleging that Osama Bin Laden is responsible for the attacks on September 11th.