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

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

From BBC • Oct. 12, 2025

But his promise to review consultant contracts that have been normally regarded as a fait accompli is a good start, some observers say.

From Salon • Mar. 8, 2025

Before this rebel resurgence, Assad’s survival seemed a fait accompli.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2024

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