1
: actual
especially
: being such in effect though not formally recognized
a de facto state of war
Whatever it says on the calendar, Florida has de facto summer. —
E. L. Konigsburg
E. L. Konigsburg has become the movement's de facto spokesperson
2
: exercising power as if legally constituted
a de facto government
the de facto head of state
3
: resulting from economic or social factors rather than from laws or actions of the state
de facto segregation
Synonyms
Examples of de facto in a Sentence
Adjective
with the death of his father, he became the de facto head of the family
Recent Examples on the WebUSA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
This past season, Thompson adapted to new roles—first as a de facto power forward, then as a sixth man—more befitting his current form.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
They’ve all been given code names, based on the Rat Pack: Frank (Dan Stevens) is an ex-cop and de facto leader of the operation.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2024
In this era, Betts served as the group’s de facto co-leader alongside Gregg, whose struggles with substance abuse endured into the ’90s.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 18 Apr. 2024
The Dominican Republic shut down its border in protest, and then Haiti's de facto prime minister, Ariel Henry, ordered the environmental police force to leave the construction site.
—Eyder Peralta, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024
Is Laura becoming the de facto villain this season?
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024
The only exceptions in the Arab world were northern Yemen, whose de facto Houthi government is close to Iran, and Lebanon, home to Hezbollah, the armed group backed by the Iranians.
—Vivian Nereim, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Before the war, his leadership in ousting Japanese and French colonizers — along with no small amount of savvy PR work — established him as the de facto moral figurehead for Vietnamese, both north and south.
—Nick Hilden, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2024
Trisha Thadani, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Mar. 2023
The trend has accelerated under the kingdom’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, amid U.S. criticism of Saudi human-rights violations.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2023
The portal has brought about de facto unfettered free agency in major college football and basketball.
—Christopher L. Gasper, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Mar. 2023
Senior centers across the country function as de facto community centers.
—Eliza Fawcett, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2023
The 16 women who had challenged the status quo, most notably Nancy Hopkins, the reluctant de facto leader, were thrilled but eager to return to their roles as elite scientists.
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2023
Another item in the package extends the de facto period of service for individuals serving on local boards and commissions beyond a looming February deadline and into April.
—Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Jan. 2023
Previously, Disney had de facto control of the board as the district's largest landowner.
—Rob Wile, NBC News, 10 Feb. 2023
The measure received unanimous support in the House and Senate and drew Taiwan’s de facto ambassador in the U.S., Hsiao Bi-khim, to both chambers Thursday.
—Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2023
Adverb
Khanna recounted how Gandhi’s technique of nonviolent political protest inspired Martin Luther King Jr. King's movement paved the way for the 1965 Immigration Act, which lifted a de facto ban on Asian migration, Khanna explained.
—USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
This past season, Thompson adapted to new roles—first as a de facto power forward, then as a sixth man—more befitting his current form.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
They’ve all been given code names, based on the Rat Pack: Frank (Dan Stevens) is an ex-cop and de facto leader of the operation.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2024
In this era, Betts served as the group’s de facto co-leader alongside Gregg, whose struggles with substance abuse endured into the ’90s.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 18 Apr. 2024
The Dominican Republic shut down its border in protest, and then Haiti's de facto prime minister, Ariel Henry, ordered the environmental police force to leave the construction site.
—Eyder Peralta, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024
Is Laura becoming the de facto villain this season?
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024
The only exceptions in the Arab world were northern Yemen, whose de facto Houthi government is close to Iran, and Lebanon, home to Hezbollah, the armed group backed by the Iranians.
—Vivian Nereim, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Before the war, his leadership in ousting Japanese and French colonizers — along with no small amount of savvy PR work — established him as the de facto moral figurehead for Vietnamese, both north and south.
—Nick Hilden, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2024
Adjective
But many supported the move and came to regard it as a de facto safe consumption site, a model that exists in cities around the world and in New York, where people can use drugs in a supervised setting.
—Trisha Thadani, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Mar. 2023
The trend has accelerated under the kingdom’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, amid U.S. criticism of Saudi human-rights violations.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2023
The portal has brought about de facto unfettered free agency in major college football and basketball.
—Christopher L. Gasper, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Mar. 2023
Senior centers across the country function as de facto community centers.
—Eliza Fawcett, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2023
The 16 women who had challenged the status quo, most notably Nancy Hopkins, the reluctant de facto leader, were thrilled but eager to return to their roles as elite scientists.
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2023
Another item in the package extends the de facto period of service for individuals serving on local boards and commissions beyond a looming February deadline and into April.
—Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Jan. 2023
Previously, Disney had de facto control of the board as the district's largest landowner.
—Rob Wile, NBC News, 10 Feb. 2023
The measure received unanimous support in the House and Senate and drew Taiwan’s de facto ambassador in the U.S., Hsiao Bi-khim, to both chambers Thursday.
—Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'de facto.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near de facto
Cite this Entry
“De facto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/de%20facto. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
de facto
1 of 2 adverb
de fac·to
di-ˈfak-tō, dā-, dē- 
: in reality : actually
these two constraints have been lifted, one de facto and one de jure—Susan Lee
Susan Leede facto
2 of 2 adjective1
: actual
especially
: being such in effect though not formally recognized see also de facto segregation at segregation
2
: exercising power as if legally constituted or authorized
a de facto government
a de facto judge
compare de jure
Etymology
Adverb
Medieval Latin, literally, from the fact
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