fait accompli
[ fe ta-kawn-plee ]
/ fɛ ta kɔ̃ˈpli /
noun, plural faits ac·com·plis [fe za-kawn-plee] /fɛ za kɔ̃ˈpli/. French.
an accomplished fact; a thing already done: The enemy's defeat was a fait accompli long before the formal surrender.
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Origin of fait accompli
First recorded in 1835–45
Words nearby fait accompli
faisal, faisal i, faisal ibn abdul aziz, faisal ii, faisalabad, fait accompli, faites vos jeux, faith, faith community, faith cure, faith hate
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for fait accompli
fait accompli
/ French (fɛt akɔ̃pli) /
noun plural faits accomplis (fɛz akɔ̃pli)
something already done and beyond alteration
Word Origin for fait accompli
literally: accomplished fact
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
Cultural definitions for fait accompli
fait accompli
[ (fayt uh-kom-plee, fet ah-kohm-plee) ]
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.”
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.