There’s some overlap in meaning between the verbs TO SUSPECT, TO ACCUSE and TO ALLEGE. But still, there are also some differences between them.
So, what do they actually mean?
TO SUSPECT
TO SUSPECT means to think that sb is possibly guilty of a crime or of doing sth wrong:
The police suspect him of murder.
Do you suspect me of cheating?
It’s also used if you think sth is the cause of sth bad:
The bad weather is suspected of causing the plane crash.
His friend’s death was suspected of causing his depression.
This verb is also used if you think sth bad happened or will happen:
We didn’t suspect it would be so hard for us.
I didn’t go to the meeting because I suspected an ambush.
If used as an adjective, it always appears before a noun:
He’s a suspected arsonist. = They suspect him of arson.
It’s a suspected place. = I suspect there’s sth wrong with or bad about this place.
TO ACCUSE
TO ACCUSE means to blame sb for sth wrong or illegal, to say that sb is guilty of a fault or crime. So this verb is a bit stronger, because you not only think sb is guilty, but you actually blame that person. Here are some examples with this verb:
They were accused of stealing the horses.
He accused his wife of adultery.
You definitely can’t accuse him of being a coward.
The verb is sometimes used to say that sb has or lacks a particular feature:
No one could accuse her of being too generous. [= she is not generous]
I’m definitely not accusing you of being a nice person. [= you aren’t a nice person]
There’s also the adjective ACCUSING:
He wrote an accusing letter to her.
She gave her husband an accusing look when she found the text message.
TO ALLEGE
TO ALLEGE /əˈlɛʤ/ means to state without definite proof that sb has done sth wrong or illegal, so it’s similar to the verb TO ACCUSE, but it additionally implies that sth is not proven. Some examples:
They alleged his guilt, but eventually they weren’t able to find any evidence.
Why did you allege that he accepts bribes? You know you can’t prove it.
The adjective ALLEGED is also used in this sense:
He’s an alleged murderer, but there are no witnesses.
The alleged arsonist was arrested.
He went bankrupt because people didn’t want to buy stuff from an alleged burglar’s father anymore.
The adjective is also used if sth is said to have happened, but it’s not yet proven:
An alleged conspiracy can’t be a reason for arresting all the members of the fraternity.
I’ve heard about the alleged plan to close the bank, but it may be just rumor.
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