matter of fact, a

Idioms  

1. Something that is literally or factually true, as in The records showed it to be a matter of fact that they were married in 1960. This idiom often occurs in the phrase as a matter of fact, as in As a matter of fact, you are absolutely right. Matter of fact was first recorded in 1581, and originally was a legal term distinguishing the facts of a case from the law, called matter of law, applying to it. It began to be applied to other concerns in the late 1600s.

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Example Sentences

As a matter of fact, a recent harassment allegation had come out, but Greenwald didn’t ask Coleman about it:

From Slate • Aug. 25, 2020

“As a matter of fact, a lot of people do not know that we have overseas possessions.”

From Washington Post • Feb. 27, 2019

As a matter of fact, a tradesman is not obliged to even offer you a receipt.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2015

As a matter of fact a number of public-spirited British corporations mobilized their foreign securities voluntarily last week.

From Time Magazine Archive

As a matter of fact, a few weeks ago, Chucha dreamed that my cousins would be leaving for a city of tall buildings before my cousins even knew they would be leaving for New York.

From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez