de jure

American  

[di joor-ee, dey joor-ey, de yoo-re] / dɪ ˈdʒʊər i, deɪ ˈdʒʊər eɪ, dɛ ˈyu rɛ /

adverb

1. by right; according to law (de facto ).

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de jure British  

/ deɪ ˈdʒʊəreɪ /

adverb

1. according to law; by right; legally Compare de facto

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Etymology

Origin of de jure

From Latin dē jūrē

Compare meaning

How does de-jure compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• de jure vs. de facto segregation

Example Sentences

"How much land, which land, and whether de facto or de jure."

From BBC • Aug. 18, 2025

At that point, the two nations are, de facto if not de jure, at war.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 7, 2024

“Formally, de jure, Srettha is in charge. De facto, it is Thaksin, except for economic policy,” Paul Chambers, Naresuan University lecturer in Southeast Asian affairs, said in an interview.

From Washington Times • Sep. 1, 2023

“Our country became bigger, de jure, today,” his spokesman, Dmitri.

From New York Times • Oct. 5, 2022

The pope, Arnauld argued, had authority in matters de jure but not in matters de facto.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton