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fait accompli

[ fe ta-kawn-plee ]
/ fɛ ta kɔ̃ˈpli /
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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.

RELATED WORDS

certainty, reality

Nearby words

  1. faisal,
  2. faisal i,
  3. faisal ibn abdul aziz,
  4. faisal ii,
  5. faisalabad,
  6. faites vos jeux,
  7. faith,
  8. faith community,
  9. faith cure,
  10. faith hate

Origin of fait accompli

First recorded in 1835–45
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
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
Word Origin and History for fait accompli

fait accompli

n.

French, literally "an accomplished fact" (see feat).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture 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.