fait accompli

noun

fait ac·​com·​pli ˈfā-tə-ˌkäm-ˈplē 

ˈfe-,

ˈfe-ˌta- 

-ˌkōⁿ(m)-,

 British usually  -ˈkäm-(ˌ)plē

plural faits accomplis ˈfā-tə-ˌkäm-ˈplē(z) 

ˈfe-,

ˈfe-ˌta-,

-ˌkōⁿ(m)-,

 British usually  -ˈkäm-(ˌ)plē(z)

: a thing accomplished and presumably irreversible

he charged that the members were presented with a fait accompli instead of being called to a meeting to discuss the policy change

—Daniel Thomases

Examples of fait accompli in a Sentence

By the time we learned about the decision, it was already a fait accompli.

Recent Examples on the Web

The citizens of New York City will be faced with a fait accompli. —David Donovan, New York Daily News, 22 May 2024

But with just one candidate bidding for each tournament, and Mr. Infantino’s preferred outcome clear, those votes appear to be a fait accompli. —Tariq Panja, New York Times, 15 May 2024

That the Royals will move into a new stadium has been treated as a fait accompli, as if all that’s left to decide are the details. —Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024

But unlike bitcoin’s decision day in early January, which seemed to be a fait accompli, ether’s outlook is far less certain. —Forbes Daily, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, accomplished fact

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above