de facto

1 of 2

adverb

de fac·​to di-ˈfak-(ˌ)tō How to pronounce de facto (audio)
dā-,
dē-
: in reality : actually
became the leader de facto

de facto

2 of 2

adjective

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

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
Adverb
From that point on, promotion was a national game — and Live Nation was the de facto concert leader. Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2024 Should the future of enterprise search functionality be open source as a de facto approach? Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes, 29 Sep. 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 See all Example Sentences for de facto 

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.

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

borrowed from Medieval Latin, literally, "from the fact"

Adjective

derivative of de facto entry 1

First Known Use

Adverb

1601, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

circa 1689, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of de facto was in 1601

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 8 Oct. 2024.

Legal Definition

de facto

1 of 2 adverb
: in reality : actually
these two constraints have been lifted, one de facto and one de jureSusan Lee

de facto

2 of 2 adjective
1
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on de facto

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