Question

de facto Although there was never a general declaration of war, the two countries were at war in a de facto sense for almost a decade. də ˈfæktoʊ

Accepted Answer

Being such in practice or effect, although not formally recognized; actual. Literally meaning “from the fact,” de facto in English can be applied to anything that has the substance of something without its formal name. A de facto government is one that operates with all of the power of a regular government but without official recognition. De facto segregation isn't the result of laws, but can be just as real and deep-rooted as legally enforced segregation. The de facto leader of a group is just the one who all the rest seem to follow. (Compare de jure.

word	de facto
definition	Being such in practice or effect, although not formally recognized; actual.
eg_sentence	Although there was never a general declaration of war, the two countries were at war in a de facto sense for almost a decade.
explanation	Literally meaning “from the fact,” de facto in English can be applied to anything that has the substance of something without its formal name. A de facto government is one that operates with all of the power of a regular government but without official recognition. De facto segregation isn't the result of laws, but can be just as real and deep-rooted as legally enforced segregation. The de facto leader of a group is just the one who all the rest seem to follow. (Compare de jure.
IPA	də ˈfæktoʊ

De Facto Government Practice Effect Formally Recognized Actual