Fait Accompli – Already happened or decided before those affected hear about it

(Pronounced fayt-ah-kom-plee)

To remember the definition of the word fait accompli, use the following mnemonic:

The village fete committee accomplished (fait accompli) nothing but anger among the locals because it had already decided to cancel the event before they could vote.

Examples of fait accompli in a sentence

My landlord’s decision to sell the property I was renting was a fait accompli that left me homeless.

Since the demolition of the roman burial site is a fait accompli, a protest would be pointless.

We got married in secret and then presented our parents with a fait accompli.