de facto
[ dee fak-toh, dey ]
/ di ˈfæk toʊ, deɪ /
adverb, adjective
in fact; in reality: Although his title was prime minister, he was de facto president of the country. Although the school was said to be open to all qualified students, it still practiced de facto segregation.
actually existing, especially when without lawful authority (distinguished from de jure).
noun
Australian. a person who lives in an intimate relationship with but is not married to a person of the opposite sex; lover.
Nearby words
de bèze, de d in d, de dicto, de dolo malo, de duve, de facto, de facto segregation, de fide, de forest, de gasperi, de gaulle
Origin of de facto
First recorded in 1595–1605, de facto is from the Latin word dē factō literally, from the fact
Can be confused
de facto de jureDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for de facto
Others are suggesting a de-facto ban, accomplished either through a huge tax, or a ban on ammunition.
The American F-15E went down in eastern Libya after midnight Tuesday about 25 miles east of Benghazi, the de-facto rebel capital.
But we're going to hand them over to the National Council [the de-facto government in Benghazi] and they're going to follow up.
It was probably one of the only times in the history of a popular uprising that the people cheered on a de-facto military coup.
British Dictionary definitions for de facto
de facto
/ (deɪ ˈfæktəʊ) /
adverb
in fact
adjective
existing in fact, whether legally recognized or nota de facto regime Compare de jure
noun plural -tos
Australian and NZ a de facto husband or wife
Word Origin for de facto
C17: Latin
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
Culture definitions for de facto
de facto
[ (di fak-toh, day fak-toh) ]
Something generally accepted or agreed to without any formal decision in its favor: “They never elected him; he became their leader de facto.” From Latin, meaning “in fact.” (Compare de jure.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.