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

Inflected Forms

noun

• faits accomplis
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fait accompli

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

Yet the majority is trying to avoid a fait accompli.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

The last Bruins coach to survive that scenario was Ben Howland, who immediately entered the next season on the hot seat, his fate seemingly a fait accompli.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

"We were presented with a fait accompli that the decision had been made to accept manslaughter charges," she said.

From BBC • Jan. 26, 2024

“We will not consent to fait accompli and unlawfulness on the island.”

From Washington Times • Aug. 22, 2023

Lawrence responded to the summons by informing Compton, as a fait accompli, that he would be introducing a new participant to the technical roundtable: Robert Oppenheimer.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik