de facto

adjective [before noun], adverb

/ˌdeɪˈfæk.təʊ/

/-toʊ/ formal

Definition

› existing in fact, although perhaps not intended, legal, or accepted: The city is rapidly becoming the de facto centre of the financial world. He's her de facto husband though they're not actually married. English is de facto the common language of much of the world today. If it is on British soil then it is de facto British. → Compare de jureTrue, real, false, and unreal

(Definition of de facto adjectiveadverb from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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