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

What felt like a fait accompli from the moment this projected $487 million roster (including payroll and luxury tax) was assembled is now set. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Perhaps some voters will decide not to vote, believing the election is a fait accompli. — Cal Thomas, Arkansas Online, 8 Sep. 2026

That fait accompli, all ninety thousand square feet of it, is, of course, what Trump has been counting on as his lawyers have fended off court challenges and a two-hundred-and-fifty-person construction crew has raced toward completion. — Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026

And late Saturday night the team from the see-me city grew even more hateable, after the Dodgers acquired Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal for three prospects, making a three-peat a fait accompli. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, accomplished fact

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above