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
Because it’s impossible to know precisely what consumers will do, your tried-and-true marketing methods may not work.
Four digital marketing strategies to prepare for a wild holiday season | Owen Loft | November 13, 2020 | Search Engine WatchWhatever the true neural basis for our love of nature is, it is likely more complex than we currently know or can easily describe.
Are We Wired to Be Outside? - Issue 92: Frontiers | Grigori Guitchounts | November 11, 2020 | NautilusIt only does 1440p instead of true 4K, and only packs a paltry 512 GB onboard storage, but it does most of what its big sibling does for 60 percent of the price.
The Xbox Series X offers killer gaming—if your TV can handle it | Stan Horaczek | November 11, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThe colors get unrealistic and you lose a true sense of what a dark scene feels like.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max might be worth it—for the camera alone | Stan Horaczek | November 10, 2020 | Popular-ScienceCurl thinks he is a true defensive back capable of playing anywhere, and it’s possible he could develop into the answer at free safety.
Washington football notes: Run-stop struggles, and the future at quarterback | Sam Fortier | November 10, 2020 | Washington Post
That is the genius and the glory of the artisan, to perfect each detail ad unguem, like a poet truing up a sonnet.
The Cup of Fury | Rupert HughesJohn hath written a sonnet on Philadelphus' wife and our Lady Amaryllis is truing his meter for him.
The City of Delight | Elizabeth MillerIf the grindstone is turned by a belt from an engine the work of truing may be done in a few minutes.
Farm Mechanics | Herbert A. ShearerPower grindstones usually have truing devices attached to them, Fig. 221.
Handwork in Wood | William NoyesHand-sawed mitres, therefore, will require a little truing with a small plane.
The Library of Work and Play: Home Decoration | Charles Franklin Warner
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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