true

[ troo ]
See synonyms for true on Thesaurus.com
adjective,tru·er, tru·est.
  1. being in accordance with the actual state or conditions; conforming to reality or fact; not false: a true story.

  2. real; genuine; authentic: true gold; true feelings.

  1. sincere; not deceitful: a true interest in someone's welfare.

  2. firm in allegiance; loyal; faithful; steadfast: a true friend.

  3. being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something: the true meaning of his statement.

  4. conforming to or consistent with a standard, pattern, or the like: a true copy.

  5. exact; precise; accurate; correct: a true balance.

  6. of the right kind; such as it should be; proper: to arrange things in their true order.

  7. properly so called; rightly answering to a description: true statesmanship.

  8. legitimate or rightful: the true heir.

  9. reliable, unfailing, or sure: a true sign.

  10. exactly or accurately shaped, formed, fitted, or placed, as a surface, instrument, or part of a mechanism.

  11. honest; honorable; upright.

  12. Biology. conforming to the type, norm, or standard of structure of a particular group; typical: The lion is a true cat.

  13. Animal Husbandry. purebred.

  14. Navigation. (of a bearing, course, etc.) determined in relation to true north.

  15. Archaic. truthful.

noun
  1. exact or accurate formation, position, or adjustment: to be out of true.

  2. the true, something that is true; truth.

adverb
  1. in a true manner; truly; truthfully.

  2. exactly or accurately.

  1. in conformity with the ancestral type: to breed true.

verb (used with object),trued, tru·ing or true·ing.
  1. to make true; shape, adjust, place, etc., exactly or accurately: to true the wheels of a bicycle after striking a pothole.

  2. (especially in carpentry) to make even, symmetrical, level, etc. (often followed by up): to true up the sides of a door.

Idioms about true

  1. 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

1
before 900; Middle English trewe (adj. and adv.), Old English trēowe (adj.) loyal, trusty, honest (see trow, truce); akin to Dutch trouw,German treu,Old Norse tryggr,Gothic triggws

synonym study For true

1. See real1.

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 wooden trying plane (or iron jointing plane) for trueing up the work.

    Woodwork Joints | William Fairham
  • The trueing device keeps the wheel perfectly true by means of a diamond held in the end of a screw .

    Leather | K. J. Adcock
  • Put your men at work trueing up the roadbed on the next section back, until further orders.

    'Firebrand' Trevison | Charles Alden Seltzer
  • An important detail of the machine under description is a trueing device.

    Leather | K. J. Adcock

British Dictionary definitions for true

true

/ (truː) /


adjectivetruer or truest
  1. not false, fictional, or illusory; factual or factually accurate; conforming with reality

  2. (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

  1. faithful to a particular concept of truth, esp of religious truth: a true believer

  2. conforming to a required standard, law, or pattern: a true aim; a true fit

  3. exactly in tune: a true note

  4. (of a compass bearing) according to the earth's geographical rather than magnetic poles: true north

  5. biology conforming to the typical structure of a designated type: sphagnum moss is a true moss, Spanish moss is not

  6. 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)

  7. not true informal unbelievable; remarkable: she's got so much money it's not true

  8. true to life exactly comparable with reality

noun
  1. correct alignment (esp in the phrases in true, out of true)

adverb
  1. truthfully; rightly

  2. precisely or unswervingly: he shot true

  1. biology without variation from the ancestral type: to breed true

verbtrues, truing or trued
  1. (tr) to adjust so as to make true

Origin of true

1
Old English triewe; related to Old Frisian triūwe, Old Saxon, Old High German triuwi loyal, Old Norse tryggr; see trow, trust

Derived 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

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.