de facto UK /ˌdeɪˈfæktəʊ/US /ˌdeɪˈfæktoʊ/adjective 1adverb 1noun 1forms 1 adjective1 •In actual use or existence, regardless of official or legal status.While it is largely recognized that Ukraine holds de jure sovereignty on Crimea, Russia exercises de facto administration on the peninsula. adverb1 •In actual use or existence, regardless of official or legal status. noun1 •(Australia, New-Zealand) A legally undeclared spouse; a partner in a spousal relationship which is not officially declared as a marriage, comparable to a common law husband or wife.One of the vendors was simple and straight; he said that it was his policy not to rent a house to de factos. — 1984 formsde factos
