after the fact

Idioms  

1. After an actual occurrence, particularly after a crime. For example, I know the brakes should have been repaired, but that doesn't help much after the fact. The use of fact for a crime dates from the first half of the 1500s. The word became standard in British law and is still used in this way today. The idiom was first recorded in 1769 in the phrase accessories after the fact, referring to persons who assist a lawbreaker after a crime has been committed. Now it is also used more loosely, as in the example above.

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Example Sentences

She was also found guilty of being an accessory after the fact, according to the Riverside County district attorney’s office.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

Being reminded you were anxious months after the fact can be upsetting.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026

That may not have gotten him invited to many cookouts after the fact, but his music still is.

From Salon • May 14, 2026

Instead, scientists look for evidence after the fact.

From Science Daily • Apr. 8, 2026

The others think of her as the girl regardless, and refer to her as such when they discuss the affair after the fact.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern