de facto

[ dee fak-toh, dey ]

adverb

1. in fact; in reality: They are forbidden from leaving the camp, thereby being de facto in a state of detention.

   Although his title was prime minister, he was de facto president of the country.

   They are forbidden from leaving the camp, thereby being de facto in a state of detention.

2. actually existing, especially when without lawful authority ( de jure ):

   He led efforts to reduce de facto segregation in the city's public schools.

noun

1. Australia. a person who lives with someone in an intimate romantic relationship but is not married to that person.

de facto

/ deɪ ˈfæktəʊ /

adverb

1. in fact

adjective

1. existing in fact, whether legally recognized or not Compare de jure

   a de facto regime

noun

1. a de facto husband or wife

de facto

1. Something generally accepted or agreed to without any formal decision in its favor: “They never elected him; he became their leader de facto.” From Latin , meaning “in fact.” ( Compare de jure .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of de facto¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin dē factō literally, “from the fact”

Word History and Origins

Origin of de facto¹

C17: Latin

Example Sentences

Supreme Court have ruled that Trump and his successors are de facto monarchs who are, in every meaningful sense, above the law.

From Salon

Saudi's de facto leader was joined by other leaders present in calling for a total Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza.

From BBC

According to the Media Office of the de facto authorities in Gaza, more than 500 bodies were found in mass graves located on hospital grounds, including at Shifa’ and Nasr hospitals.

From Salon

The social safety net will be gutted even more — this will include de facto cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, as well as overturning the Affordable Care Act.

From Salon

But what he couldn’t have anticipated was how quickly the Yankees would ambush his de facto No. 1 starter.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• existing