de facto Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective existing in fact whether with lawful authority or not
    • de facto segregation is as real as segregation imposed by law
    • a de facto state of war
  2. adverb in reality or fact
    • the result was, de facto, a one-party system

WordNet

De` fac"to
Etymology
L.
Definitions
  1. Actually; in fact; in reality; as, a king de facto, -- distinguished from a king de jure, or by right.

Webster 1913