de facto

adverb

de fac·to | \di-ˈfak-(ˌ)tō,

dā-, dē-\

Definition of de facto

(Entry 1 of 2)

: in reality : actually became the leader de facto

de facto

adjective

Definition of de facto (Entry 2 of 2)

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 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 & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about de facto

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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 Web: Adjective

Since his return to Cleveland, James, as the de facto head of the franchise, has made clear his preference for being surrounded by teammates who are finished products and/or deferential to him. — Mike Sielski, Philly.com, "LeBron James to the Sixers? Two big factors make it unlikely | Mike Sielski," 29 June 2018 The Brave New World of Legalized Sports Betting, Explained Illustration by Alicia Tatone The Supreme Court has ended the de facto federal prohibition on sports gambling. — Jay Willis, GQ, "The Brave New World of Legalized Sports Betting, Explained," 14 May 2018 The case also led to the arrest of Lee Jae-yong, the de facto head of Samsung. — Choe Sang-hun, BostonGlobe.com, "South Korea’s ousted president gets 24 years in prison," 6 Apr. 2018 How does a de facto diplomat recover from such rhetorical carnage? — Robin Givhan, Houston Chronicle, "Nothing else Melania Trump wears will ever matter again," 13 July 2018 Analysts have been debating how quickly Saudi Arabia, the de facto head of OPEC, and other large producers could fill a potential supply gap. — Sarah Mcfarlane, WSJ, "Oil Tumbles on Libya’s Returning Supply," 11 July 2018 Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and human rights activist Liu Xiaobo, has left China for Europe after eight years under de facto house arrest. — Suyin Haynes, Time, "Widow of Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo Leaves China After Eight Years Under House Arrest, Reports Say," 10 July 2018 What comprises a de facto life sentence: Is 50 years too long? — Samantha Melamed, Philly.com, "Why are juvenile lifers from Philly getting radically different sentences than those in the rest of Pennsylvania?," 10 July 2018 Also of great interest, there is a girl in the de facto all-boys group. — Chris Chase, BostonGlobe.com, "Chess notes," 7 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'de facto.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.