de facto

1 of 2

adverb

de fac·​to di-ˈfak-(ˌ)tō 

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

Synonyms of de facto

Adjective

• actual
• real
• factual
• true
• very

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

Local political activists see the meeting as an occasion to press for more democratic freedoms in a de facto one-party state. — ABC News, 13 Nov. 2026

Key-man risk Huang’s ouster raises questions around Nvidia’s ability to remain the de facto central bank of the AI boom — and the fate of billions of dollars of chip financing from a slew of Wall Street firms that are tangled up with the company. — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 12 Nov. 2026

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 portal has brought about de facto unfettered free agency in major college football and basketball. — Christopher L. Gasper, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Mar. 2023

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

Legal 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

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