fact

important, interesting, relevant, salient

The most important fact is that everyone on the team agreed with the decision.

basic

concrete, hard, incontrovertible, inescapable, observable, obvious, plain, straightforward, true, undeniable

The evidence showed an undeniable fact: the accident happened because of poor road conditions.

bare, brute, disturbing, harsh, sad, stark, unpalatable, unpleasant

The stark fact is that many people struggle to afford basic healthcare.

little-known, well-known

A little-known fact is that honey never spoils and can last for thousands of years.

mere

The mere fact that she was late made everyone worry something serious had happened.

historical

be aware of, have, know

The manager was aware of the key facts before making the final decision.

ascertain, establish, find out

The police needed to find out the facts before they could make an arrest.

check, examine, look at

Before making a decision, the manager examined all the facts carefully.

prove

The scientist's recent experiments proved several important facts about climate change.

collect, gather

select

The journalist carefully selected the facts for her news report about the scandal.

give, impart, present, state

The scientist presented several facts about climate change that surprised the audience.

interpret

The scientists interpreted the facts differently, which led to two competing theories.

account for, explain

Scientists cannot explain the fact that some people never seem to get sick.

accept, acknowledge, face, recognize

We need to recognize the fact that climate change is affecting our weather patterns.

grasp

She finally grasped the fact that her old job wasn't coming back.

learn

assimilate

The teacher gave us a week to assimilate all the historical facts before the exam.

deny, dispute

Some scientists dispute the fact that climate change is slowing down.

ignore, overlook

Many students overlook the fact that regular practice is more important than studying for hours before a test.

be oblivious to

conceal, disguise, hide

She tried to conceal the fact that she had forgotten his birthday.

obscure

His friendly manner couldn't obscure the fact that he was deeply unhappy about the decision.

draw attention to

The study draws attention to the fact that regular exercise improves mental health.

emphasize, underline

confine yourself to, keep to, stick to

When writing your report, keep to the facts and avoid adding your own opinions.

be based on

The documentary is based on fact, not speculation or rumor.

reflect

Her decision to leave reflects the fact that she found a better job opportunity.

stem from

Her decision to quit her job stemmed from the fact that she wanted to travel.

be explained by

be complicated by, be compounded by, be exacerbated by

His difficulty in learning English was compounded by the fact that he had no teacher to help him.

lament, regret, resent

Many employees regret the fact that they didn't learn computer skills earlier in their careers.

remain

The fact remains that many people still don't understand how to recycle properly.

after the ~

The company discovered the accounting error after the fact and had to notify all investors.

apart from the ~

The party was great, apart from the fact that my best friend couldn't come.

despite/in spite of/notwithstanding the ~

He decided to go swimming in spite of the fact that he couldn't swim very well.

due to the ~

The concert was cancelled due to the fact that the singer became ill.

given the ~

It's not unusual that she failed the exam, given the fact she never studied.

in ~

She said she was tired, but in fact she was just nervous about the exam.

~ about

I discovered some surprising facts about how much water plants actually need.

(as) a matter of fact

Most people think she's quiet, but as a matter of fact she's quite funny when you know her well.

facts and figures

The report included facts and figures about how many students graduated last year.

the fact of the matter

The fact of the matter is that most people enjoy their jobs more when they feel appreciated.

the facts of the case

The lawyer carefully explained the facts of the case to her confused client.

a fact of life

the facts of life

fact or fiction?

I wonder whether that scary story your friend told was fact or fiction.

the facts speak for themselves

get your facts right/wrong

Before publishing the article, the journalist checked carefully to make sure she got her facts right.

have the facts at your fingertips

A good journalist always has the facts at her fingertips when interviewing sources.

in actual fact/in point of fact

She seemed nervous before the interview, but in actual fact she felt quite confident.

in view of the fact that

In view of the fact that it was raining, we decided to cancel the picnic.

know for a fact

I know for a fact that she passed her driving test last week.

a question/statement of fact

The judge ruled that the defendant's claim was merely a question of fact, not opinion.

a recognition of the fact that

There is now a widespread recognition of the fact that climate change affects everyone.