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.

Ms. Zabogonska, the theater’s de facto leader, separates from her husband and moves to France, declining Mr. Verini’s interview request.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

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

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

Cocteau’s main aim, it would seem, was to shock Parade’s de facto producer, Sergei Diaghilev, who had challenged Cocteau to ‘astonish’ him.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall