fact

noun

\ˈfakt

Definition of fact

1a : something that has actual existence space exploration is now a fact

b : an actual occurrence prove the fact of damage

2 : a piece of information presented as having objective reality These are the hard facts of the case.

3 : the quality of being actual : actuality a question of fact hinges on evidence

4 : a thing done: such as

a : crime accessory after the fact

b archaic : action

c obsolete : feat

5 archaic : performance, doing

in fact

: in truth He looks younger, but in fact, he is 60 years old.

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about fact

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Examples of fact in a Sentence

Rapid electronic communication is now a fact. The book is filled with interesting facts and figures. He did it, and that's a fact.

Recent Examples on the Web

Technically, the fact that China censors search results is a state secret. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "A looming strike over Project Dragonfly is putting new pressure on Google," 30 Nov. 2018 The fact that global stock markets didn’t move much after Mr. Trump’s Monday remarks also could give the Trump administration more confidence that a negative outcome in Argentina wouldn’t rock markets. — Bob Davis, WSJ, "Larry Kudlow Voices Skepticism Over Trump-Xi Trade Meeting," 27 Nov. 2018 Using third-party skills, Alexa can play soothing sleep sounds at night, read stories to your children, tell you random food facts, and act as the host of a trivia game for you and your friends. — Valentina Palladino, Ars Technica, "Guidemaster: Want an Alexa device? Here’s every Amazon Echo, compared," 22 Nov. 2018 In fact, the roaches were a hundred times more resistant to the pesticide than laboratory strains of the bug were. — Rob Dunn, Discover Magazine, "Our Attempts to Eradicate Insects are Just Making them Resistant to Pesticides," 16 Nov. 2018 Fun fact: World Market is actually a subsidiary of Bed Bath & Beyond! — Jolie Peters, House Beautiful, "The Best Places To Score A Sofa On Black Friday," 14 Oct. 2018 Oddly, Jell-O doesn’t bring up the fact that it has been involved in slime culture before. — Kaitlyn Tiffany, Vox, "Jell-O is finally capitalizing on the Instagram slime trend," 15 Nov. 2018 Laureano’s and Frazier’s dedication to allowing both survivors and those who have hurt them to stay in the same community is rooted in the fact that those who perpetrate harm frequently act out of systemic oppression. — Kim Tran, Teen Vogue, "Transformative Justice, Explained," 15 Nov. 2018 The shows constantly weaved in the fact that this hunky 26-year-old former football player was somehow still a virgin. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "The Poster for Colton Underwood's Season of The Bachelor Is Really...Something," 15 Nov. 2018

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

History and Etymology for fact

borrowed from Latin factum "deed, action, real event," noun derivative from neuter of factus, past participle of facere "to make, bring about, perform, do," going back to a suffixed form *dhh₁-k-i̯e- (with perfect fēcī from *dheh₁-k-) of Indo-European *dhh₁-, dheh₁- "put, place, make, do" — more at do entry 1

Note: The extension *-k- has been compared with the Greek extended aorist éthēka "I placed" (corresponding to present títhēmi "I set, put, placed"), apparently parallel to Latin jaciō, jacere "to throw" and Greek hêka "I threw" (see jet entry 3); though the identity of the two formatives has been disputed.

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Dictionary Entries near fact

Statistics for fact

Last Updated

3 Dec 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for fact

The first known use of fact was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for fact

fact

noun

English Language Learners Definition of fact

: something that truly exists or happens : something that has actual existence

: a true piece of information

See the full definition for fact in the English Language Learners Dictionary

fact

noun

\ˈfakt

Kids Definition of fact

1 : something that really exists or has occurred Space travel is now a fact.

2 : a true piece of information “I just know for a fact that she has a huge family to feed!”— Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

in fact

: in truth : actually She got there early and in fact she was earliest.

fact

noun

Legal Definition of fact

1 : something that has actual existence : a matter of objective reality

2 : any of the circumstances of a case that exist or are alleged to exist in reality : a thing whose actual occurrence or existence is to be determined by the evidence presented at trial — see also finding of fact at finding, judicial notice, question of fact at question, trier of fact — compare law, opinion

— adjudicative fact

: a fact particularly related to the parties to an especially administrative proceeding — compare legislative fact in this entry

— collateral fact

: a fact that has no direct relation to or immediate bearing on the case or matter in question — compare material fact in this entry

— constitutional fact

: a fact that relates to the determination of a constitutional issue (as violation of a constitutional right) —used especially of administrative findings of fact

— evidentiary fact

: a fact that is part of the situation from which a case arises and that is established by testimony or other evidence

— called also mediate fact, predicate fact

— compare ultimate fact in this entry

— legislative fact

: a fact of general social, economic, or scientific relevance that does not change from case to case — compare adjudicative fact in this entry

— material fact

: a fact that affects decision making: as

a : a fact upon which the outcome of all or part of a lawsuit depends

b : a fact that would influence a reasonable person under the circumstances in making an investment decision (as in purchasing a security or voting for a corporate officer or action)

— mediate fact

: evidentiary fact in this entry

— predicate fact

: evidentiary fact in this entry

— ultimate fact \ˈəl-ti-mət- \

: a conclusion of law or especially mixed fact and law that is necessary to the determination of issues in a case and that is established by evidentiary facts — compare evidentiary fact in this entry