fact

American  

[fakt] / fækt /

noun

facts plural

1. that which actually exists or is the case; reality or truth.

   Your fears have no basis in fact.

2. something known to exist or to have happened.

   Space travel is now a fact.

3. a truth known by actual experience or observation; something known to be true.

   Scientists gather facts about plant growth.

4. something said to be true or supposed to have happened.

   The facts given by the witness are highly questionable.

5. Law. Often facts. an actual or alleged event or circumstance relevant to a case, as distinguished from the legal effect of that event or circumstance.

---

interjection

1. Slang. Usually facts. very true; I fully agree.

   “He’s the best freakin’ goalie in the whole NHL.” “Facts.”

idioms

1. before the fact, prior to the commission of a crime.

   an accessory before the fact.

2. after the fact, after the commission of a crime.

   an accessory after the fact.

3. in fact, actually; really; indeed.

   In fact, it was a wonder that anyone survived.

fact British  

/ fækt /

noun

1. an event or thing known to have happened or existed

2. a truth verifiable from experience or observation

3. a piece of information

   get me all the facts of this case

4. law (often plural) an actual event, happening, etc, as distinguished from its legal consequences. Questions of fact are decided by the jury, questions of law by the court or judge

5. philosophy a proposition that may be either true or false, as contrasted with an evaluative statement

6. criminal law after the commission of the offence

   an accessory after the fact

7. criminal law before the commission of the offence

8. in reality or actuality

9. an inescapable truth, esp an unpleasant one

10. the truth

---

fact More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing fact

• after the fact
• in fact
• is that a fact
• matter of fact

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• factful
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• facts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fact

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin factum “something done, deed,” noun use of neuter of factus “done,” past participle of facere “to do, make”; see also do ¹

Explanation

You can't argue with facts: a fact is something proven to be true. It's important to distinguish between fact and fiction. When someone says, "Is that a fact?" they're asking "Is that really true?" When a detective says, "Give me the facts," he only wants information that is rock solid and confirmed. The job of science is to study things and figure out what the facts are in every field. Theories and opinions are not facts: you need to have proof for something to be a fact.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fact facts

What separates Dean from the U.K. pop-soul tradition she emerged from, though, is the simple fact that she has hits.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

In fact, it demonstrated how brutal it is for players when they’re left guessing how long their ball will roll.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

Whether delaying benefits until age 70 was a wise decision is not changed by the fact that he died shortly thereafter.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

This is despite the fact that “domicile” does not appear in the 14th Amendment or the subsequent statutes.

From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026

In fact, there is no one on the streets but us.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Paramount, in a statement, blasted the lawsuit from the state attorneys general, saying it “reflects a fundamentally flawed application of the antitrust laws and is wrong on both the facts and the law.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

One of the best known efforts was Douglas Lenat's Cyc project, which began in the 1980s with the goal of creating an extensive collection of common sense facts.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

"I wanted to get fitter, I wanted to get healthier, so I started going online and took social media very much at face value without understanding the facts."

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Perhaps a key difference that gives Costco the monocultural edge over our increasingly algorithmized culture is that it doesn’t revolve around a single type of storytelling, or even agreed-upon facts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Cassiopeia tried to show her some basic facts of multiplication, but Bertha proved even less adept at math than Nutsawoo, who could at least comprehend that three acorns made a more filling snack than two.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• accomplishment
• action
• case
• circumstance
• data
• evidence
• experience
• factor
• incident
• information
• performance
• phenomenon
• statistic