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.

---

fait accompli British  

/ fɛt akɔ̃pli /

noun

1. something already done and beyond alteration

---

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.”

---

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

Even though everyone assumed his return was a fait accompli, there were a few red flags around.

From BBC • Oct. 12, 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

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

From Washington Times • Aug. 22, 2023

Sometimes it is necessary to present one’s colleagues with a policy that is already a fait accompli.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela