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View synonyms for true

true

[ troo ]

adjective

, tru·er, tru·est.
  1. being in accordance with the actual state or conditions; conforming to reality or fact; not false:

    a true story.

    Synonyms: veracious, factual

  2. real; genuine; authentic:

    true gold; true feelings.

  3. sincere; not deceitful:

    a true interest in someone's welfare.

    Synonyms: honest

  4. firm in allegiance; loyal; faithful; steadfast:

    a true friend.

    Synonyms: steady, constant, staunch, trustworthy

  5. being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something:

    the true meaning of his statement.

  6. conforming to or consistent with a standard, pattern, or the like:

    a true copy.

  7. exact; precise; accurate; correct:

    a true balance.

    Synonyms: faithful

  8. of the right kind; such as it should be; proper:

    to arrange things in their true order.

  9. properly so called; rightly answering to a description:

    true statesmanship.

  10. legitimate or rightful:

    the true heir.

  11. reliable, unfailing, or sure:

    a true sign.

  12. exactly or accurately shaped, formed, fitted, or placed, as a surface, instrument, or part of a mechanism.
  13. honest; honorable; upright.
  14. Biology. conforming to the type, norm, or standard of structure of a particular group; typical:

    The lion is a true cat.

  15. Animal Husbandry. purebred.
  16. Navigation. (of a bearing, course, etc.) determined in relation to true north.
  17. Archaic. truthful.


noun

  1. exact or accurate formation, position, or adjustment:

    to be out of true.

  2. the true, something that is true; truth.

adverb

  1. in a true manner; truly; truthfully.
  2. exactly or accurately.
  3. in conformity with the ancestral type:

    to breed true.

verb (used with object)

, trued, tru·ing or true·ing.
  1. to make true; shape, adjust, place, etc., exactly or accurately:

    to true the wheels of a bicycle after striking a pothole.

  2. (especially in carpentry) to make even, symmetrical, level, etc. (often followed by up ):

    to true up the sides of a door.

true

/ truː /

adjective

  1. not false, fictional, or illusory; factual or factually accurate; conforming with reality
  2. prenominal being of real or natural origin; genuine; not synthetic

    true leather

    1. unswervingly faithful and loyal to friends, a cause, etc

      a true follower

    2. ( as collective noun ; preceded by the )

      the loyal and the true

  3. faithful to a particular concept of truth, esp of religious truth

    a true believer

  4. conforming to a required standard, law, or pattern

    a true fit

    a true aim

  5. exactly in tune

    a true note

  6. (of a compass bearing) according to the earth's geographical rather than magnetic poles

    true north

  7. biology conforming to the typical structure of a designated type

    sphagnum moss is a true moss, Spanish moss is not

  8. physics not apparent or relative; taking into account all complicating factors Compare apparent

    the true expansion of a liquid takes into account the expansion of the container

  9. not true informal.
    unbelievable; remarkable

    she's got so much money it's not true

  10. true to life
    exactly comparable with reality
“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


noun

  1. correct alignment (esp in the phrases in true, out of true )
“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

adverb

  1. truthfully; rightly
  2. precisely or unswervingly

    he shot true

  3. biology without variation from the ancestral type

    to breed true

“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

verb

  1. tr to adjust so as to make true
“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈtrueness, noun
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Other Words From

  • trueness noun
  • half-true adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of true1

before 900; Middle English trewe (adj. and adv.), Old English trēowe (adj.) loyal, trusty, honest ( trow, truce ); akin to Dutch trouw, German treu, Old Norse tryggr, Gothic triggws
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Word History and Origins

Origin of true1

Old English triewe ; related to Old Frisian triūwe , Old Saxon, Old High German triuwi loyal, Old Norse tryggr ; see trow , trust
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. come true, to have the expected or hoped-for result; become a reality:

    She couldn't believe that her dream would ever come true.

More idioms and phrases containing true

  • come true
  • course of true love
  • dream come true
  • find true north
  • hold good (true)
  • ring false (true)
  • run (true) to form
  • too good to be true
  • tried and true
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Synonym Study

See real 1.
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Example Sentences

If they accept you — if Music accept you — then you learn true power.

It is like my dream is coming true, and it’s been special for me.

It was not a true accurate description of what it does – so now Google is calling it passage ranking.

This is especially true for people you once were close to or looked up to, who may now be engaging in behaviors that conflict with your values.

It is also unclear whether the same is true for variants of the virus that appear to be more contagious.

What happened to true love knows no boundaries and all that?

At 1:42 a.m., a commenter bluntly asked: “Jeff, Is it true you are a convicted sex offender?”

True, this may not be what James Madison had in mind when he was writing the Bill of Rights.

Like his old man, he keeps it reined in, but when talking about fishing, a true regret seeps out.

None of that is true for those brands who have booked black faces.

She is quite true, but not wise, and your left hand must not know what your right hand is doing.

Each religion claims that its own Bible is the direct revelation of God, and is the only true Bible teaching the only true faith.

Each picture bore a label, giving a true description of the once-honoured gem.

It seems to be a true instinct which comes before education and makes education possible.

But if what I told him were true, he was still at a loss how a kingdom could run out of its estate like a private person.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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