de facto

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Make America Healthy Again movement, for which Kennedy is the de facto leader, promotes a diet heavy in meat and animal products, such as butter, beef tallow and raw milk.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

She becomes the de facto “keeper” of these letters and more mementos — a “strange gift,” she writes, the paper trail of something that should never have happened.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

In February, four Chagossians gave it a try, landing a rubber raft on tiny Île du Coin in an attempt to establish a de facto right of return, a gambit they called Operation Certain Death.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

The U.A.E.’s exit will diminish the influence of Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s de facto leader, and the broader framework that includes Russia and other non-OPEC producers.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

Let me tell you something else about Cade Hernandez: As the school's de facto commander in the Stop Trying to Make Us Stop revolution, he was an expert button pusher.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith