Definition of De facto

1. Adverb. In reality or fact. "The result was, de facto, a one-party system"

2. Adjective. Existing in fact whether with lawful authority or not. "A de facto state of war"

Also: Existent, Real
Antonyms: De Jure

Definition of De facto

1. Adverb. (context: modal) In practice; in actual use or existence, regardless of official or legal status. ¹

2. Adjective. In fact or in practice; in actual use or existence, regardless of official or legal status. (Often opposed to (term de jure).) ¹

3. Noun. (Australia NZ) A legally undeclared spouse. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of De Facto

de Morsier's syndrome
de Musset's sign
de Pezzer catheter
de Quervain's disease
de Quervain's fracture
de Quervain's thyroiditis
de Sade
de Saussure
de Spinoza
de Valera
de bene esse
de bonis non administratis
de dicto
de die ad diem
de die in diem
de facto
de facto corporation
de facto corporations
de facto segregation
de factos
de haut en bas
de jure
de jure segregation
de l'Orme
de la Mare
de luxe
de minimis
de minimis non curat lex
de nada

Literary usage of De facto

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Commentaries on the Law of Municipal Corporations by John Forrest Dillon (1911)
"Appointment to Office by de facto Council or Board. — It has been argued that, as a de facto council or board does not have title de jure, it cannot by its ..."

2. Studies in History and Jurisprudence by James Bryce Bryce (1901)
"The Sovereign de iure may also be the sovereign de facto. ... Where Sovereignty de facto is disjoined from Sovereignty de iure, there will not necessarily ..."

3. Lectures on Jurisprudence, Or, The Philosophy of Positive Law by John Austin (1885)
"For, in respect of positive morality, a government not de facto is not of necessity ... A government de facto may be lawful, or a government de facto may be ..."

4. The diplomatic protection of citizens abroad or the law of international claims by Edwin Montefiore Borchard (1915)
"Criteria of de facto Government. Effect of Recognition. The existence of a de facto government is a question of fact. Tests in establishment of this fact ..."

5. The Principles of the Law of Public Corporations by Charles Burke Elliott, John Edward Macy (1910)
"Officers de facto.—A de facto officer is one who discharges the duties of an office ... The acts of a de facto officer before the title to the office is ..."

6. Judicial and Statutory Definitions of Words and Phrases by West Publishing Company (1904)
"become an officer de facto. State v. Blossom, 10 Рас. 430, 432, 19 Ney. 312. A de facto officer must be In fact the officer. ..."

7. A Treatise on the Constitutional Limitations which Rest Upon the Legislative by Thomas McIntyre Cooley (1888)
"The fact renders necessary a classification of officers as de jure and de facto. An officer de jure is one who, possessing the legal qualifications, ..."

8. Handbook of the Law of Private Corporations by William Lawrence Clark, Isaac Maurice Wormser (1916)
"By the weight of authority, to constitute a corporation de facto within this rule, ... The doctrine concerning de facto corporations is based on grounds of ..."

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