fact

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fact

(făkt)

1. Knowledge or information based on real occurrences: an account based on fact; a blur of fact and fancy.

a. 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.

b. A real occurrence; an event: had to prove the facts of the case.

c. 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 A conclusion drawn by a judge or jury from the evidence in a case: a finding of fact.

Idiom:

in (point of) fact

In reality or in truth; actually.

[Latin factum, deed, from neuter past participle of facere, to do; see dhē- in Indo-European roots.]

Usage Note: Since the word fact means "a real occurrence, something demonstrated to exist or known to have existed," the phrases true facts and real facts, as in The true facts of the case may never be known, would seem to be redundant. But fact has a long history of use in the sense of "an allegation of fact" or "something that is believed to be true," as in this remark by union leader Albert Shanker: "This tract was distributed to thousands of American teachers, but the facts and the reasoning are wrong." This usage has led to the notion of "incorrect facts," which causes qualms among critics who insist that facts must be true. The usages, however, are often helpful in making distinctions or adding emphasis.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

fact

(fækt)

1. an event or thing known to have happened or existed

2. a truth verifiable from experience or observation

3. a piece of information: get me all the facts of this case.

4. (Law) law (often plural) an actual event, happening, etc, as distinguished from its legal consequences. Questions of fact are decided by the jury, questions of law by the court or judge

5. (Philosophy) philosophy a proposition that may be either true or false, as contrasted with an evaluative statement

6. (Law) after the fact criminal law after the commission of the offence: an accessory after the fact.

7. (Law) before the fact criminal law before the commission of the offence

8. as a matter of fact in fact in point of fact in reality or actuality

9. fact of life an inescapable truth, esp an unpleasant one

10. the fact of the matter the truth

[C16: from Latin factum something done, from factus made, from facere to make]

ˈfactful adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

fact

(fækt)

n.

1. something that actually exists: Your fears have no basis in fact.

2. something known to exist or to have happened.

3. a truth known by actual experience or observation; something known to be true.

4. something said to be true or supposed to have happened.

5. an actual or alleged event or circumstance, as distinguished from its legal effect or consequence.

Idioms:

1. after the fact, done, made, or formulated after something has occurred.

2. in fact, in truth; really; indeed: They are, in fact, great patriots.

[1530–40; < Latin factum something done, deed]

fact′ful, adj.

fact

1. 'fact'

A fact is an item of knowledge or information that is true.

It may help you to know the full facts of the case.

The report is several pages long and full of facts and figures.

Be Careful!
Don't talk about 'true facts' or say, for example, 'These facts are true'.

2. 'the fact that'

You can refer to a whole situation by using a clause beginning with the fact that.

He tried to hide the fact that he was disappointed.

The fact that the centre is overcrowded is the main thing that people complain about.

Be Careful!
You must use that in clauses like these. Don't say, for example, 'He tried to hide the fact he was disappointed'.

3. 'in fact'

You use in fact to show that you are giving more detailed information about what you have just said.

They've been having financial problems. In fact, they may have to close down.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	fact - a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred; "first you must collect all the facts of the case" information - knowledge acquired through study or experience or instruction case - the actual state of things; "that was not the case" detail, item, point - an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole; "several of the details are similar"; "a point of information" particular, specific - a fact about some part (as opposed to general); "he always reasons from the particular to the general" general - a fact about the whole (as opposed to particular); "he discussed the general but neglected the particular" matter of fact - a matter that is an actual fact or is demonstrable as a fact observation - facts learned by observing; "he reported his observations to the mayor" reason - a fact that logically justifies some premise or conclusion; "there is reason to believe he is lying" score - the facts about an actual situation; "he didn't know the score" truth - a fact that has been verified; "at last he knew the truth"; "the truth is that he didn't want to do it"
	2.	fact - a statement or assertion of verified information about something that is the case or has happened; "he supported his argument with an impressive array of facts" info, information - a message received and understood record book, book, record - a compilation of the known facts regarding something or someone; "Al Smith used to say, `Let's look at the record'"; "his name is in all the record books" basics, rudiments - a statement of fundamental facts or principles index number, indicator, index, indicant - a number or ratio (a value on a scale of measurement) derived from a series of observed facts; can reveal relative changes as a function of time
	3.	fact - an event known to have happened or something known to have existed; "your fears have no basis in fact"; "how much of the story is fact and how much fiction is hard to tell" realness, realism, reality - the state of being actual or real; "the reality of his situation slowly dawned on him"
	4.	fact - a concept whose truth can be proved; "scientific hypotheses are not facts" concept, conception, construct - an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances

fact

noun

1. truth, reality, gospel (truth), certainty, verity, actuality, naked truth How much was fact and how much fancy no one knew.
truth lie, fiction, invention, delusion, yarn (informal), fable, fabrication, falsehood, untruth, tall story

2. detail, point, feature, particular, item, specific, circumstance The lorries always left in the dead of night when there were few witnesses around to record the fact.

3. event, happening, act, performance, incident, deed, occurrence, fait accompli (French) He was sure the gun was planted after the fact.

plural noun

1. information, details, data, the score (informal), gen (Brit. informal), info (informal), the whole story, ins and outs, the lowdown (informal) There is so much information you can find the facts for yourself.

in fact actually, really, indeed, truly, in reality, in truth, to tell the truth, in actual fact, in point of fact That sounds rather simple, but in fact it's very difficult.

Quotations
"In this life we want nothing but facts, sir; nothing but facts" [Charles Dickens Hard Times]

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

fact

noun

1. That which is known about a specific subject or situation.Used in plural:

data, information, intelligence, knowledge, lore.

2. Something having real, demonstrable existence:

actuality, event, phenomenon, reality.

3. One of the conditions or facts attending an event and having some bearing on it:

circumstance, detail, factor, particular.

4. The quality of being actual or factual:

actuality, factuality, factualness, reality, truth.

Translations

حقيقةحَقِيقَةحَقيقَهواقِع، حَقيقَه

faktskutečnostpravda

faktumkendsgerningvirkelighed

Tatsache Wirklichkeit Fakt Faktum

γεγονός

fakto

hecho realidad dato

fakttõsiasi

tosiasiafaktatieto

fait réel vérité

činjenica

tény

staîreyndveruleiki

fatto in realt...le nozioni sessuali realtà dato di fatto

事実実情現実

사실

faktasfaktinisfaktiškaitiesatikrovė

faktsīstenībarealitāte

feit

realitet faktum kjensgjerning

fakt

facto fato

faptfaptă

факт быль

fakt

dejstvopravzaprav

faktumverklighet

ความจริง

gerçek hakikat

sự kiện

事实实情

fact

[fækt]

A. N

1. (= detail, circumstance) → hecho m
the fact that → el hecho de que ...
the fact that she knew is not the point → el hecho de que ella lo supiera no viene al caso
he still loved her in spite of the fact that she had left him → aunque le había dejado él aún la quería
my family accepts the fact that I'm a vegetarian → mi familia acepta que sea vegetariano
their priority is to establish the facts of the case → su prioridad es esclarecer los hechos or lo que ocurrió realmente
hard facts → hechos mpl innegables
to stick to the facts → atenerse a los hechos

2. (= piece of information) → dato m
facts and figures → datos mpl
the facts of life → los detalles de la reproducción
get your facts right before you start accusing people → infórmate bien antes de empezar a acusar a la gente
he accused her of getting her facts wrong → la acusó de no contar con la información correcta

3. (= reality) → realidad f
the fact remains that → la realidad sigue siendo que ...
the fact (of the matter) is that → la verdad or el hecho es que ...
I accept what he says as fact → acepto lo que dice como cierto
a story founded on fact → una historia basada en hechos verídicos or reales
it has no basis in fact → carece de base (real)
it's a fact that → es un hecho que ...
to face (the) facts → enfrentarse a la realidad or los hechos
he can't tell fact from fiction → no es capaz de distinguir la realidad de la ficción
to know for a fact that → saber a ciencia cierta que ...
in fact → de hecho
it sounds simple, but in fact it's very difficult → parece sencillo, pero de hecho or en realidad es muy difícil
I don't like it, as a matter of fact I'm totally against it → no me gusta, de hecho estoy totalmente en contra
"don't tell me you like it?" - "as a matter of fact I do" → -no me digas que te gusta -pues sí, la verdad es que sí
they're very alike, in point of fact you can't tell the difference → son muy parecidos, de hecho no puedes distinguirlos
is that a fact! (iro) → ¡no me digas!
he's a dull writer, and that's a fact → es un escritor aburrido, eso no hay quien lo discuta
see also face B3

4. (Jur) (= event)
before/after the fact → antes/después de los hechos
see also accessory

B. CPD fact sheet N → hoja f informativa, informe m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

fact

[ˈfækt] n

(= piece of information) → fait m
facts and figures → les faits mpl et les chiffres mpl
the facts about sth → les éléments mpl de qch
to know for a fact (that) ... → savoir pertinemment que ...
despite the fact (that) ... → malgré le fait que ...
the fact remains (that) ... → toujours est-il que ...

(= truth) → faits mpl
to be based on fact → être basé(e) sur des faits
is it fact or fiction? → est-ce réel ou imaginaire?
in fact → en fait
in actual fact → en fait
as a matter of fact → en fait
the fact is (that) ... → le fait est que ...fact-finding [ˈfæktfaɪndɪŋ] adj
fact-finding mission → mission f d'enquête
fact-finding committee → commission f d'enquête

fact

→ Tatsache f, → Faktum nt (geh); (historical, geographical etc) → Faktum nt; hard facts → nackte Tatsachen pl; the true facts → der wahre Sachverhalt; facts and figures → Fakten und Zahlen; he accepts the fact that I don’t eat meat → er akzeptiert es, dass ich kein Fleisch esse; in view of the fact that … → angesichts der Tatsache, dass …; despite the fact that … → der Tatsache zum Trotz, dass …; to know for a fact that → (es) ganz genau or sicher wissen, dass; the fact (of the matter) is that … → die Sache ist die, dass …; the fact remains that … → es lässt sich nicht bestreiten, dass …; to stick to the facts → bei den Tatsachen bleiben, sich an die Tatsachen or Fakten halten; to look (the) facts in the face → der Wirklichkeit or den Tatsachen (dat) → ins Auge sehen; the facts of the case (Jur) → der Tatbestand, der Sachverhalt; … and that’s a fact → … darüber besteht kein Zweifel!, … Tatsache! (inf); is that a fact? → tatsächlich?, Tatsache? (inf) ? face VT c

no pl (= reality) → Wirklichkeit f, → Realität f; fact and fiction → Dichtung und Wahrheit; based/founded on fact → auf Tatsachen beruhend

in (point of) fact, in actual fact → eigentlich; (= in reality) → tatsächlich, in Wirklichkeit; (= after all) → (dann) doch; (to make previous statement more precise) → nämlich; in fact, as a matter of fact → eigentlich; (to intensify previous statement) → sogar; I don’t suppose you know him? — in (actual) fact or as a matter of fact I do → Sie kennen ihn nicht zufällig? — doch, eigentlich schon; do you know him? — in (actual) fact or as a matter of fact I do → kennen Sie ihn? — jawohl; it sounds simple, but in (actual) fact or in point of fact it’s very difficult → es hört sich so einfach an, aber in Wirklichkeit ist es sehr schwer; I’d meant to do some work but in fact I was too tired → ich wollte eigentlich etwas arbeiten, war aber dann zu müde; I thought I could give you a lift, but in (actual) fact I won’t be going → ich dachte, ich könnte dich mitnehmen, aber ich gehe doch nicht; I’m going soon, in (actual) fact tomorrow → ich reise bald ab, nämlich morgen; it won’t be easy, in fact or as a matter of fact it’ll be very difficult → es wird nicht einfach sein, es wird sogar sehr schwierig sein; does it hurt? — as a matter of fact it’s very painful → tuts weh? — ja, und sogar ganz schön; I bet you haven’t done that! — as a matter of fact I have! → du hast das bestimmt nicht gemacht! — und ob, aber ja doch!; as a matter of fact we were just talking about you → wir haben (nämlich) eben von Ihnen geredet; do you know Sir Charles? — as a matter of fact he’s my uncle/yes, in fact he’s my uncle → kennen Sie Sir Charles? — ja, und er ist sogar/ja, er ist nämlich mein Onkel

(Jur) to be an accessory before/after the fact → sich der Beihilfe/Begünstigung schuldig machen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

fact

[fækt] n → fatto
it's a fact that ... → è un dato di fatto che...
to know for a fact that ... → sapere per certo che...
the facts of life (sex) → i fatti riguardanti la vita sessuale (realities) → le realtà della vita
facts and figures → dati mpl e cifre fpl
fact and fiction → realtà e fantasia
story founded on fact → storia basata sui fatti
it has no basis in fact → non si basa su fatti realmente accaduti
as a matter of fact, in point of fact → per la verità
the fact (of the matter) is that ... → la verità è che...
in fact → in realtà

fact

(fӕkt) noun

1. something known or believed to be true. It is a fact that smoking is a danger to health.

2. reality. fact or fiction.

the facts of life

information about sex and how babies are born (in sex education).

factual (ˈfӕktʃuəl) adjective

of or containing facts. a factual account.

ˈfactually adverb

as a matter of fact, in fact, in point of fact

actually or really. She doesn't like him much – in fact I think she hates him!

fact

→ حَقِيقَة fakt faktum Tatsache γεγονός hecho tosiasia fait činjenica fatto 事実 사실 feit realitet fakt facto, fato факт faktum ความจริง gerçek sự kiện 事实

fact

n. de hecho, hecho, realidad;

in ___ → en efecto, en realidad.

References in periodicals archive ?

Hans Rosling points out that humans are less factful because of "Instincts."

BOOK - FACTFULNESS - Fighting Ignorance

I think it's been clarified by a number of people, and that what's been reported isn't factful," Thorpe said.

Ian Thorpe denies receiving funds from Swimming Australia

Demanding factful, rather than "factless," discussions could help tether judges to records and statutes, thereby cabining the reach of their decisions.