Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
facts - 2 dictionary results
Grand Canyon Photos
 See Grand Canyon adventure photos From National Geographic ADVENTURE
 NationalGeographic.com
Facts
 Think you're a smartypants? Can you pass our Trivia IQ Test?
 DumbSpot.com/Facts

fact

  [fakt]
Use facts in a Sentence
–noun
1. something that actually exists; reality; truth: Your fears have no basis in fact.
2. something known to exist or to have happened: Space travel is now a fact.
3. a truth known by actual experience or observation; something known to be true: Scientists gather facts about plant growth.
4. something said to be true or supposed to have happened: The facts given by the witness are highly questionable.
5. Law. Often, facts. an actual or alleged event or circumstance, as distinguished from its legal effect or consequence. Compare question of fact, question of law.
—Idioms
6. after the fact, Law. after the commission of a crime: an accessory after the fact.
7. before the fact, Law. prior to the commission of a crime: an accessory before the fact.
8. in fact, actually; really; indeed: In fact, it was a wonder that anyone survived.
Origin:
1530–40; < L factum something done, deed, n. use of neut. of factus done, ptp. of facere to do 1

Related forms:
factful, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To facts
fact   (fākt)   
n.  
  1. Knowledge or information based on real occurrences: an account based on fact; a blur of fact and fancy.
    1. Something demonstrated to exist or known to have existed: Genetic engineering is now a fact. That Chaucer was a real person is an undisputed fact.
    2. A real occurrence; an event: had to prove the facts of the case.
    3. Something believed to be true or real: a document laced with mistaken facts.
  3. A thing that has been done, especially a crime: an accessory before the fact.
  4. Law The aspect of a case at law comprising events determined by evidence: The jury made a finding of fact.

[Latin factum, deed, from neuter past participle of facere, to do; see dhē- in Indo-European roots.]
Usage Note: Fact has a long history of usage in the sense "allegation of fact," as in "This tract was distributed to thousands of American teachers, but the facts and the reasoning are wrong" (Albert Shanker). This practice has led to the introduction of the phrases true facts and real facts, as in The true facts of the case may never be known. These usages may occasion qualms among critics who insist that facts can only be true, but the usages are often useful for emphasis.
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
Search another word or see facts on Thesaurus | Reference
Grand Canyon Photos
 See Grand Canyon adventure photos From National Geographic ADVENTURE
 NationalGeographic.com
Facts
 Think you're a smartypants? Can you pass our Trivia IQ Test?
 DumbSpot.com/Facts