fait accompli

American  

[fe ta-kawn-plee] / fɛ ta kɔ̃ˈpli /

noun

French.

faits accomplis plural

1. an accomplished fact; a thing already done.

   The enemy's defeat was a fait accompli long before the formal surrender.

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fait accompli British  

/ fɛt akɔ̃pli /

noun

1. something already done and beyond alteration

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fait accompli Cultural  

1. Something that has already been done: “The company president did not discuss the new hiring policy with her board of directors; instead she put it into effect and presented the board with a fait accompli.” From French, meaning “an accomplished fact.”

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• faits accomplis
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fait accompli

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fait accompli

Yet the majority is trying to avoid a fait accompli.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026

That fait accompli brought them worldwide fame, culminating in two open-air gigs at Knebworth House in summer 1996.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2025

Or at least not as much of a fait accompli as we’ve seen in the recent past.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2025

There was no evidence or facts that likely would have changed their minds; The outcome was a fait accompli.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2023

It is far better for her to make her own adjustment before the operation than to awaken from the anesthetic and find it a fait accompli.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot