De facto
Etymology
A Latin phrase meaning "from the fact" or "in fact" (de, "from," + facto, the ablative of factum, "a deed, a thing done"). It entered legal English as the counterpart to de jure, marking what is true in reality as opposed to what holds by formal legal right.
adverb · /dee-FAK-toh/
Existing in actual fact and practice, whether or not it is officially recognized by law.
What it names
The gap between how things really work and what the rules say — a manager who runs the team without the title, a border everyone respects that no treaty draws.
Example
With the elected mayor in exile, the police chief became the town’s de facto ruler.
Related idea
De facto is what actually happens in practice; de jure is what is true by law, and the two often diverge.
See also