actual
adjective
ac·tu·al
ˈak-ch(ə-w)əl 
-sh(ə-w)əl;
-chü-əl,
-shü-
1
a
: existing in fact or reality
actual events
actual and imagined conditions
b
: not false or apparent
actual costs
c
—used for emphasis
This is the actual room in which my grandfather was born.
2
: existing or occurring at the time
caught in the actual commission of a crime
3
obsolete
: active
Examples of actual in a Sentence
They signed the agreement in the spring, but the actual sale wasn't made until that summer.
You deposit money in a bank account but the actual money is not held there.
The actual cost of the repair was much higher than the estimate.
Recent Examples on the Web
The difference is that in prediction markets, people are wagering actual money, which tends to sharpen the mind in ways that answering a pollster's call during dinner does not.
—
Arkansas Online, 24 Mar. 2026
The gas that was burned off represents around 27,500 gigawatt hours of power generation — that’s the equivalent of one year’s worth of electricity consumption by 625 million Nigerians (the actual population is 237 million) going to waste.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
The prep work will take about a year, with actual construction beginning next spring.
—John Ramos, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
An actual conviction in the Senate to oust Bondi from office would require a two-thirds majority in the upper chamber.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for actual
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Arkansas Online, 24 Mar. 2026
The gas that was burned off represents around 27,500 gigawatt hours of power generation — that’s the equivalent of one year’s worth of electricity consumption by 625 million Nigerians (the actual population is 237 million) going to waste.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
The prep work will take about a year, with actual construction beginning next spring.
—John Ramos, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
An actual conviction in the Senate to oust Bondi from office would require a two-thirds majority in the upper chamber.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for actual
Cite this Entry
“Actual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/actual. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
actual
adjective
ac·tu·al
ˈak-ch(ə-w)əl
ˈak-sh(ə-w)əl
: existing in fact and not merely as a possibility
actuality
noun
ˌak-chə-ˈwal-ət-ē,
-shə-
actualization
noun
ˈak-ch(ə-w)ə-lə-ˈzā-shən,
-sh(ə-w)ə-
actualize
verb
-ˌīz
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
