facts on the ground

English

Etymology

Back-formation from put facts on the ground

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

facts on the ground pl (plural only)

1. (idiomatic) The situation in reality as opposed to in the abstract.
2. (literally) Some aspects of the situation in a particular location.
3. (idiomatic, euphemistic) The presence of military forces in a territory, rendering moot any debate over ownership.
   • 2011 February 20, Harriet Sherwood, quoting Ian McEwan, “Ian McEwan attacks 'great injustice' in Israel”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     The author referred to "continued evictions and relentless purchases of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem, the process of the right of return granted to Jews but not to Arabs, the so-called facts on the ground of hardening concrete over the future, over future generations of Palestinian and Israeli children who will inherit the conflict and find it even more difficult to resolve than it is today."

Related terms

• boots on the ground

See also

• fait accompli
• de facto
• status quo ante bellum
• ex factis jus oritur
• realpolitik
• revanchism
• ground truth