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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

facts on the ground en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

Back-formation from put facts on the ground.

Meanings

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

Relateds

boots on the ground · de facto · fait accompli · realpolitik · revanchism · ex factis jus oritur · status quo ante bellum · ground truth