de facto

American  

[dee fak-toh, dey] / di ˈfæk toʊ, deɪ /

adverb

1. in fact; in reality: They are forbidden from leaving the camp, thereby being de facto in a state of detention.

   Although his title was prime minister, he was de facto president of the country.

   They are forbidden from leaving the camp, thereby being de facto in a state of detention.

2. actually existing, especially when without lawful authority (distinguished from de jure).

   He led efforts to reduce de facto segregation in the city's public schools.

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noun

1. Australia. a person who lives with someone in an intimate romantic relationship but is not married to that person.

de facto British  

/ deɪ ˈfæktəʊ /

adverb

1. in fact

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adjective

1. existing in fact, whether legally recognized or not Compare de jure

   a de facto regime

noun

1. a de facto husband or wife

de facto Cultural  

1. 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.)

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Etymology

Origin of de facto

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin dē factō literally, “from the fact”

Example Sentences

Ward and the rhythm section formed alt-rock band Sparta, while Bixler-Zavala and Rodríguez-López formed dub reggae outfit De Facto and then recorded six records as prog-rock group the Mars Volta.

From The Guardian • Nov. 9, 2017

The calls would be directed to De Facto and they would try and organize some coherence in our response in terms of who got priority and who didn't.

From Nature • Jun. 28, 2016

We worked with their PR company, De Facto.

From Nature • Jun. 28, 2016

The main aim of the organization, also dubbed the Commonwealth of Unrecognized States, or the Axis of De Facto, seems to be to at least recognize one another’s independence.

From New York Times • May 23, 2012

De Facto had been solemnly crowned and anointed at church, and had likewise utterly discomfited De Jure, when they came to battle for the kingdom together.

From The Virginians by Thackeray, William Makepeace

Related Words

• existing