fait accompli

American  

[fe ta-kawn-plee] / fɛ ta kɔ̃ˈpli /

noun

French.

• faits accomplis
  plural

1. an accomplished fact; a thing already done.

   The enemy's defeat was a fait accompli long before the formal surrender.

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fait accompli British  

/ fɛt akɔ̃pli /

noun

1. something already done and beyond alteration

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fait accompli Cultural  

1. Something that has already been done: “The company president did not discuss the new hiring policy with her board of directors; instead she put it into effect and presented the board with a fait accompli.” From French, meaning “an accomplished fact.”

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• faits accomplis
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fait accompli

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fait accompli

Yet the majority is trying to avoid a fait accompli.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026

That fait accompli brought them worldwide fame, culminating in two open-air gigs at Knebworth House in summer 1996.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2025

But his promise to review consultant contracts that have been normally regarded as a fait accompli is a good start, some observers say.

From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2025

The end result now seems like fait accompli: The crowd in the ballroom of a Pasadena Hilton went wild just before 1 a.m. on Nov. 8, 2000, as Schiff declared victory.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2024

It is far better for her to make her own adjustment before the operation than to awaken from the anesthetic and find it a fait accompli.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot