fact-check

American  

[fakt-chek] / ˈfæktˌtʃɛk /

verb (used with object)

1. to confirm the truth of (an assertion made in speech or writing), often as part of the research or editorial process.

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noun

1. the action of confirming the truth of an assertion made in speech or writing.

   A fact-check of the senator’s speech revealed several misleading comments about his opponent.

Other Word Forms

• fact-checker noun
• fact-checking noun

Etymology

Origin of fact-check

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Analysis by Nepali online fact-check experts TechPana found the images had been created using OpenAI's ChatGPT, while police said less than 5,000 people were at the real event.

From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026

Mr. Brooke-Hitching provides no way for the reader to fact-check his assertions, but he does offer a glossary to clear up the meanings of such terms as buoyant, pseudonym and venom.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

The Chinese Embassy said the allegations of "forced labor" in her reports "cannot withstand basic fact-check".

From BBC • Nov. 3, 2025

It was educational — though I didn’t fact-check — weaving in the stories of artists considered revolutionary in their time, like Morisot, Monet and Degas.

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2025

Of seven “new” claims addressed in the fact-check, Meta says that the company “refuted” only two.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2025