Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
de facto - 6 dictionary results

de fac⋅to

  [dee fak-toh, dey]
Use de facto in a Sentence
–noun
1. in fact; in reality: Although his title was prime minister, he was de facto president of the country. Although the school was said to be open to all qualified students, it still practiced de facto segregation.
2. actually existing, esp. when without lawful authority (distinguished from de jure ).
3. Australian. a person who lives in an intimate relationship with but is not married to a person of the opposite sex; lover.
Origin:
1595–1605; < L dē factō lit., from the fact
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To de facto
de fac·to   (dĭ fāk'tō, dā)   
adv.  In reality or fact; actually.
adj.  
  1. Actual: de facto segregation.
  2. Exercising power or serving a function without being legally or officially established: a de facto government; a de facto nuclear storage facility.

[Latin dē factō : dē, from, according to + factō, ablative of factum, fact.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

De facto

De` fac"to\ [L.] Actually; in fact; in reality; as, a king de facto, -- distinguished from a king de jure, or by right.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : de facto
Spanish: de hecho,
German: eigentlich,
Japanese: 本当のことをいうと
More Translations »

de facto [(di fak-toh, day fak-toh)]

Something generally accepted or agreed to without any formal decision in its favor: “They never elected him; he became their leader de facto.” From Latin, meaning “in fact.” (Compare de jure.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Main Entry: de fac·to
Pronunciation: di-'fak-tO, dA-, dE-
Function: adverb
Etymology: Medieval Latin, literally, from the fact
: in reality : ACTUALLY de facto and one de jure —Susan Lee>

Main Entry: de facto
Function: 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 de facto government> de facto judge> —compare DE JURE
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see de facto on Thesaurus | Reference