true
being in accordance with the actual state or conditions; conforming to reality or fact; not false: a true story.
real; genuine; authentic: true gold; true feelings.
sincere; not deceitful: a true interest in someone's welfare.
firm in allegiance; loyal; faithful; steadfast: a true friend.
being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something: the true meaning of his statement.
conforming to or consistent with a standard, pattern, or the like: a true copy.
exact; precise; accurate; correct: a true balance.
of the right kind; such as it should be; proper: to arrange things in their true order.
properly so called; rightly answering to a description: true statesmanship.
legitimate or rightful: the true heir.
reliable, unfailing, or sure: a true sign.
exactly or accurately shaped, formed, fitted, or placed, as a surface, instrument, or part of a mechanism.
honest; honorable; upright.
Biology. conforming to the type, norm, or standard of structure of a particular group; typical: The lion is a true cat.
Animal Husbandry. purebred.
Navigation. (of a bearing, course, etc.) determined in relation to true north.
Archaic. truthful.
exact or accurate formation, position, or adjustment: to be out of true.
the true, something that is true; truth.
in a true manner; truly; truthfully.
exactly or accurately.
in conformity with the ancestral type: to breed true.
to make true; shape, adjust, place, etc., exactly or accurately: to true the wheels of a bicycle after striking a pothole.
(especially in carpentry) to make even, symmetrical, level, etc. (often followed by up): to true up the sides of a door.
Idioms about true
come true, to have the expected or hoped-for result; become a reality: She couldn't believe that her dream would ever come true.
Origin of true
1synonym study For true
Other words for true
Other words from true
- trueness, noun
- half-true, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use true in a sentence
The kids described if those statements were true, not true or sometimes true.
Warning! Junk foods can harm a teen’s brain | Sharon Oosthoek | November 19, 2020 | Science News For StudentsWhile it’s true that Republicans are set to draw many more congressional districts than Democrats, they will still draw fewer than they did in 2011.
Republicans Won Almost Every Election Where Redistricting Was At Stake | Nathaniel Rakich (nathaniel.rakich@fivethirtyeight.com) | November 18, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightTechamuanvivit is a friend of mine, and what began as a phone call to catch up turned into a two-part conversation about the true costs of closing versus remaining open during the pandemic.
The True Cost of Keeping a Restaurant Open During a Pandemic | Charlotte Druckman | November 11, 2020 | EaterThat’s true for our elected officials, our football teams, and our fast food restaurants.
WATCH NOWNo true friend would let you skip Casablanca while on a trip to Morocco.
If the face is somewhat irregular, it can be trued up by placing it on a block of wood and going over it with a rawhide hammer.
Copper Work | Augustus F. RoseAfter the corner has been soldered and the box pickled, it is again placed over a block and trued up square.
Copper Work | Augustus F. RoseWhen the handle has been sawed out and the edges trued up, it is fitted to the bowl part.
Copper Work | Augustus F. RoseAfter the bowl part has been shaped it may be placed on the pitch block and the outline trued up with a chasing tool.
Copper Work | Augustus F. RoseThis will give the general shape of the bowl which may be trued up later by sawing and filing.
Copper Work | Augustus F. Rose
British Dictionary definitions for true
/ (truː) /
not false, fictional, or illusory; factual or factually accurate; conforming with reality
(prenominal) being of real or natural origin; genuine; not synthetic: true leather
unswervingly faithful and loyal to friends, a cause, etc: a true follower
(as collective noun; preceded by the): the loyal and the true
faithful to a particular concept of truth, esp of religious truth: a true believer
conforming to a required standard, law, or pattern: a true aim; a true fit
exactly in tune: a true note
(of a compass bearing) according to the earth's geographical rather than magnetic poles: true north
biology conforming to the typical structure of a designated type: sphagnum moss is a true moss, Spanish moss is not
physics not apparent or relative; taking into account all complicating factors: the true expansion of a liquid takes into account the expansion of the container Compare apparent (def. 3)
not true informal unbelievable; remarkable: she's got so much money it's not true
true to life exactly comparable with reality
correct alignment (esp in the phrases in true, out of true)
truthfully; rightly
precisely or unswervingly: he shot true
biology without variation from the ancestral type: to breed true
(tr) to adjust so as to make true
Origin of true
1Derived forms of true
- trueness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with true
In addition to the idioms beginning with true
- true blue
- true colors
- true to
also see:
- come true
- course of true love
- dream come true
- find true north
- hold good (true)
- ring false (true)
- run (true) to form
- too good to be true
- tried and true
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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