allege vs plead

allege and plead both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
allege	No	No	Yes	No
plead	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, plead is a hyponym of allege; that is, plead is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than allege:

allege: report or maintain
plead: make an allegation in an action or other legal proceeding, especially answer the previous pleading of the other party by denying facts therein stated or by alleging new facts

allege (verb)	plead (verb)
report or maintain	appeal or request earnestly
	enter a plea, as in courts of law
	offer as an excuse or plea
	make an allegation in an action or other legal proceeding, especially answer the previous pleading of the other party by denying facts therein stated or by alleging new facts