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de jure

American  
[di joor-ee, dey joor-ey, de yoo-re] / dɪ ˈdʒʊər i, deɪ ˈdʒʊər eɪ, dɛ ˈyu rɛ /

adverb

  1. by right; according to law (de facto ).


de jure British  
/ deɪ ˈdʒʊəreɪ /

adverb

  1. according to law; by right; legally Compare de facto

"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

Etymology

Origin of de jure

From Latin dē jūrē

Compare meaning

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"How much land, which land, and whether de facto or de jure."

From BBC

At that point, the two nations are, de facto if not de jure, at war.

From Seattle Times

Who, after all, knows the meaning of “ex curia” or “de jure” without going to law school?

From Scientific American

A particularly intriguing thread in “Meet Me By the Fountain” examines malls’ complicity in segregation — de facto if not de jure.

From Los Angeles Times

Baseball fans, a temperamentally conservative tribe, viscerally oppose de jure changes to their game.

From Washington Post