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fact Definition

fact (fakt)

noun

  1. a deed; act: now esp. in the sense of “a criminal deed” in the phrases after the fact and before the fact an accessory after the fact
  2. a thing that has actually happened or that is really true; thing that has been or is
  3. the state of things as they are; reality; actuality; truth fact as distinct from fancy
  4. something said to have occurred or supposed to be true to check the accuracy of one's facts
  5. Law an actual or alleged incident or condition, as distinguished from its legal consequence

Etymology: L factum, that which is done, deed, fact, neut. pp. of facere, do

fact Idioms

as a matter of fact

in reality; really; actually

the facts of life

☆
  1. basic information about sexual reproduction
  2. the harsh, unpleasant facts about a situation in life

fact Synonyms

fact

n.

  1. A reliable generality

    reality, actuality, certainty, truth, substantiality, palpability, experience, matter, state of things, truth of the matter, the case, not an illusion, fait accompli (French), what really happened, something concrete, what is the case, matter of fact, hard evidence, hard fact, nuda veritas (Latin), verity, naked truth, gospel, certitude, scripture, law, solidity, permanence, basis, physical reality, existence, corporeal existence, state of being, fact of life, what's what*, straight dope*, bottom line*; see also facts.

    Antonyms fancy*, fiction*, imagination. *

  2. An individual reality

    circumstance, detail, factor, particular, case, consideration, datum, evidence, point, event, action, deed, happening, occurrence, creation, manifestation, being, entity, experience, affair, act, episode, performance, proceeding, phenomenon, incident, thing done, adventure, transaction, organism, construction, truism, truth, plain fact, accomplishment, accomplished fact, fait accompli (French).

    Antonyms error*, illusion*, untruth.

as a matter of fact

in reality, in fact, actually, in point of fact; see really 1.

fact Law Definition

n

Something that exists or has happened; an irreducible element of real existence or occurrence.
collateral fact
A fact that is not central to the main issue or controversy.
evidentiary fact
A fact that tends to prove, or is a necessary prerequisite for the proof of, another fact.
jurisdictional fact. 
Such a fact as must exist before a court will exercise jurisdiction over a matter; for example, in a diversity case in federal court, that the parties are citizens of different states and that the amount in controversy is above a threshold level.
probative fact
See evidentiary fact.
ultimate fact
An essential fact, arrived at by inference from the evidence and testimony, that causes the final determination or conclusion of law.

fact Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • ignore: It is quite unrealistic now to ignore these facts.
  • reflect: Rather, it is intended to reflect the fact that judgment is required when assessing whether land is MMHD or ISIG.
  • highlight: Once again the real threat of fraud on the Internet has highlighted the fact that consumers fear going on line.
  • hide: Still, even all the bias can't hide the fact that the Tories are heading for another very heavy defeat.
  • like: I also particularly liked the fact that you only charged 50p p&p per bag.
  • mention: We won't mention the fact that I was 1 1/2 hours late for my last outing ( stop laughing Andy ).

Converse of subject

  • hamper: Work was hampered by the basic fact that the horse chestnuts were poor quality material from which to produce acetone.
  • compound: That they were East European was compounded by the fact that Russia was communist and led by Joseph Stalin.
  • reinforce: And that idea is reinforced by the fact that three of the known MCPH proteins are found in the centrosome during cell division.

Adjective modifier

  • mere: The mere fact that they may be produced in a new way is no reason for any radical change in the policy process.
  • sad: The sad fact is that the American hostages in Iraq are forgotten casualties of war.
  • actual: All of which brings me to the final point ( well, three in actual fact ).
  • historical: The use of historical fact as a springboard for fiction is not a new one.
  • interesting: Some interesting facts emerge from the early records of this church.
  • fascinating: You can find fascinating facts on every page - eg.

Modifies a noun

sheet: Back Pain fact sheet Back pain of one kind or another affects millions of people in the UK each year.

Preposition: of

  • matter: The simple fact of the matter is that this witness had no idea what they were talking about.
  • case: The key facts of the case are as follows.
  • life: But erosion has been a fact of life in those parts for hundreds of years and nobody can predict such things accurately.

Preposition: from

fiction: Sources will need to be carefully checked in an attempt to sort out fact from fiction!