# fait accompli

Pronunciation: US say "fayt-uh-kahm-PLEE" /ˌfeɪt əkɑmˈpli/; UK say "fayt-uh-KOM-plee" /ˌfeɪt əˈkɒmpliː/

## Noun

1. Something that has already happened before the people affected had a chance to object or ask questions.
   - Simple: Something that has already happened before people could say no or ask about it.
   - _The council approved the demolition in a late-night session, then presented residents with a fait accompli._
   - _Critics complained that the cuts were announced as faits accomplis, leaving no room for public comment._

## Origin

Borrowed from French fait accompli (“a completed fact”), from fait (“a fact”) + accompli (“completed, accomplished”).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/fait-accompli (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).