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• prima facie evidence
  prima facie evidence

  noun

  evidence sufficient to establish a fact or to raise a presumption of fact unless rebutted.
• prima-facie evidence
  prima-facie evidence

  noun

  law evidence that is sufficient to establish a fact or to raise a presumption of the truth of a fact unless controverted

prima facie evidence

American  

noun

Law.

1. evidence sufficient to establish a fact or to raise a presumption of fact unless rebutted.

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prima-facie evidence British  

noun

1. law evidence that is sufficient to establish a fact or to raise a presumption of the truth of a fact unless controverted

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Etymology

Origin of prima facie evidence

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prima facie evidence prima-facie evidence

Sherborne said this was "prima facie" evidence of phone hacking, to which Dacre responded by saying it was only "evidence" Miskiw was "desperately trying to get work out" of the paper.

From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026

“The ignition of the Saddleridge Fire by SCE’s power and transmission lines and equipment is prima facie evidence of SCE’s negligence,” states the complaint, which was filed by acting U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2025

Violation of this rule is considered prima facie evidence of reckless driving.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 21, 2023

There is no integrity, even when there is prima facie evidence that people were making hundreds of millions of dollars trading on information that others do not have.

From Salon ● Jan. 26, 2020

At his feet was an oily sediment along the water’s edge and the gravel was thick with “sand blossom”—tiny fossil formations 88 that are prima facie evidence of oil.

From The Law of Hemlock Mountain by Lundsford, Hugh

Her worshipful staring during his speeches had for years been regarded as prima-facie evidence of a Goody Two-Shoes phoniness.

From Time Magazine Archive

Wall Street took this as prima-facie evidence that George Whitney knew nothing of the pending debacle.

From Time Magazine Archive

This, he said, was prima-facie evidence that the cards are stacked against the buyer and that rates are too high.

From Time Magazine Archive

Insurance is heavy, since to many companies the fact of owning a bike is prima-facie evidence of irresponsibility.

From Time Magazine Archive

There was thus any amount of prima-facie evidence of the robbery having taken place when we were all at table.

From A Thief in the Night Further adventures of A. J. Raffles, Cricketer and Cracksman by Hornung, E. W. (Ernest William)