FACT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does fact mean? 

• FACT (noun)
  The noun FACT has 4 senses:

1. a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred

2. a statement or assertion of verified information about something that is the case or has happened

3. an event known to have happened or something known to have existed

4. a concept whose truth can be proved

  Familiarity information: FACT used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FACT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Context example:

first you must collect all the facts of the case

Hypernyms ("fact" is a kind of...):

information (knowledge acquired through study or experience or instruction)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fact"):

case (the actual state of things)

detail; item; point (an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole)

particular; specific (a fact about some part (as opposed to general))

general (a fact about the whole (as opposed to particular))

matter of fact (a matter that is an actual fact or is demonstrable as a fact)

observation (facts learned by observing)

reason (a fact that logically justifies some premise or conclusion)

score (the facts about an actual situation)

truth (a fact that has been verified)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A statement or assertion of verified information about something that is the case or has happened

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

he supported his argument with an impressive array of facts

Hypernyms ("fact" is a kind of...):

info; information (a message received and understood)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fact"):

book; record; record book (a compilation of the known facts regarding something or someone)

basics; rudiments (a statement of fundamental facts or principles)

index; index number; indicant; indicator (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)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An event known to have happened or something known to have existed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Context example:

how much of the story is fact and how much fiction is hard to tell

Hypernyms ("fact" is a kind of...):

realism; reality; realness (the state of being actual or real)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A concept whose truth can be proved

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Context example:

scientific hypotheses are not facts

Hypernyms ("fact" is a kind of...):

concept; conception; construct (an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances)

 Context examples 

At the risk of telling a twice-told tale, I will recapitulate the facts as they were known to the public at the conclusion of the inquest.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He didn’t mind me; in fact, he took a fancy to me, for at the time when he saw me first I was a youngster of twelve or so.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

In fact, the few words we spoke could hardly be called a conversation.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

In fact, sensation and emotion had left him.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

‘Well,’ said he, ‘the fact is that I have heard some really extraordinary stories about your financial ability.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I guess the real facts is that I don't know nothin' much about such things.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

The fact is, I have just begun to keep my terms, after rather a long delay.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

In fact, his conduct approached that of a bully, and he was given to swaggering up and down before Spitz’s very nose.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

In fact, when he had but partly learned the law, his impression was that he must leave all live things alone.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Let me begin with facts—bare, meagre facts, verified by books and figures, and of which there can be no doubt.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)