matter of fact

See also: matter-of-fact

English

Etymology

See matter, fact. First attested in the 16th century.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

matter of fact (plural matters of fact)

1. (law) An issue concerning the factual circumstances of a cause of action that is to be tried or proved; an allegation forming the basis of a claim or defense, as opposed to a matter of law.

   Whether he left his house on the night of the murder is a matter of fact.

2. (by extension) A point of fact; a claim or statement about (empirical) facts, as opposed to conjecture or opinion.

   It’s a matter of fact that I came into work yesterday.

   • 1690, John Butler, Bellua Marina: or the Monstrous Beast Which Arose out of the Sea […], page 3:

     And all that I pretend to in this ensueing Treatise, is only to poynt with the finger from the Text unto the mater of fact, shewing how here & there, these & those words of the Text were fulfilled.

Derived terms

• as a matter of fact
• matter-of-fact
• matter-of-factly

Phrase

matter of fact

1. (colloquial, adverbial) Ellipsis of as a matter of fact.
   • 1970, James Kirkwood, American Grotesque: An Account of the Clay Shaw–Jim Garrison Affair in the City of New Orleans, page 570:

     “Are you familiar with the Trade Mart building?” ¶ “Yes,” I replied. “Matter of fact, I had drinks up at the top of the Mart only a few nights ago.”

   • 2009 November 14, George Vecsey, “In Assessing Agassi, the Title Tells It All”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     Matter of fact, I vaguely recall interviewing him at a public appearance at The New York Times Building on Wednesday evening.

Further reading

• Bryan A. Garner, editor (2015), Black's Law Dictionary, tenth abridged edition, Thomson Reuters, →ISBN
• “matter of fact”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.