fait accompli

noun

fait ac·​com·​pli ˈfā-tə-ˌkäm-ˈplē 

ˈfe-,

ˈfe-ˌta- 

-ˌkōⁿ(m)-,

 British usually  -ˈkäm-(ˌ)plē

plural faits accomplis ˈfā-tə-ˌkäm-ˈplē(z) 

ˈfe-,

ˈfe-ˌta-,

-ˌkōⁿ(m)-,

 British usually  -ˈkäm-(ˌ)plē(z)

: a thing accomplished and presumably irreversible

he charged that the members were presented with a fait accompli instead of being called to a meeting to discuss the policy change

—Daniel Thomases

Examples of fait accompli in a Sentence

By the time we learned about the decision, it was already a fait accompli.

Recent Examples on the Web

The difference is stark – the Manchester-by-the-Sea health board presented the NFG policy to residents as a fait accompli, and rejected a democratic vote to overturn, while Bellingham is allowing the tax-paying residents to determine their own fate. —Peter Brennan, Boston Herald, 26 May 2025

On To pull off a fait accompli, Flynn noted, Chinese forces would need to cross the 100-mile Taiwan Strait under heavy fire. —Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025

Yet, despite all the pre-season prognostications, winning the division is no longer a fait accompli. —Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025

In the Washington Post piece, Archbishop Broglio framed the program’s demise as a fait accompli. —Paul Elie, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, accomplished fact

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above