fact

noun

Save Word

\ 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

Keep scrolling for more

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 There are also fact sheets available on each bond project on the Office of Management & Budget website. — Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, "The Anchorage election is Tuesday. Here’s how to vote - and what happens next.," 6 Apr. 2021 The fact that he hadn’t been regularly tested, let alone offered the vaccine, seemed to me to reflect a broader lapse in officials’ judgment. — New York Times, "When the Pandemic Came to Sullivan Prison," 6 Apr. 2021 The biggest ethical concern here is not so much the completion of unfinished music or even dead stars on stage as holograms singing their old songs, but rather the fact that words are, figuratively and literally, being put in their mouths. — Eamonn Forde, Forbes, "Near-Vana: A “New” Kurt Cobain Track Appears Courtesy Of Artificial Intelligence," 6 Apr. 2021 Her writing for magazines dried up after the 2008 financial crisis, leading to a series of freelance editing and fact-checking gigs. — Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, "How an acclaimed author decided to write fiction for Black women like her," 6 Apr. 2021 The fact that a healthy immune system can be induced to overreact explains why many of those who died in the 1918 Spanish flu were not older people, but rather men and women in their 20s, 30s and 40s. — Mark Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "That second shot of COVID-19 vaccine can cause a headache and then some, but it works," 6 Apr. 2021 Would my husband eternally narrate the fact that, on March 11, 2020, the National Basketball Association suspended the 2019–20 season after Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz center, tested positive for the coronavirus? — Melissa Fay Greene, The Atlantic, "How Will We Remember the Pandemic?," 6 Apr. 2021 O’Neal, with the Birmingham Airport Authority, said the fact that airlines have restarted many of the routes once halted during the height of the pandemic means air traffic should continue to increase. — Ramsey Archibald | Rarchibald@al.com, al, "Air travel in Alabama bouncing back, but still well below pre-COVID highs," 6 Apr. 2021 Scientists say that Earth is endangered by a new strain of fact-resistant humans. — Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker, "New Georgia Poll Shows Kemp Losing Governor’s Race to Can of Coca-Cola," 6 Apr. 2021

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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about fact

Dictionary Entries near fact

Statistics for fact

Last Updated

9 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Fact.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fact. Accessed 14 Apr. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster Check Mark Icon

Keep scrolling for more

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

in fact

: as a factual matter : established by fact rather than as a matter of law