Meanings
- idiomaticpluralplural onlyThe situation in reality as opposed to in the abstract.
- literallypluralplural onlySome aspects of the situation in a particular location.
- euphemisticidiomaticpluralplural onlyThe presence of military forces in a territory, rendering moot any debate over ownership.
1 more example
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
Origin
Back-formation from put facts on the ground.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
facts on the ground. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/facts%20on%20the%20ground
“facts on the ground.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/facts%20on%20the%20ground. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “facts on the ground,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/facts%20on%20the%20ground.
Source: facts on the ground on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.