actual
adjective
ac·tu·al
ˈak-ch(ə-w)əl 
-sh(ə-w)əl;
-chü-əl,
-shü-
1
a
: existing in fact or reality
actual events
actual and imagined conditions
b
: not false or apparent
actual costs
c
—used for emphasis
This is the actual room in which my grandfather was born.
2
: existing or occurring at the time
caught in the actual commission of a crime
3
obsolete
: active
Examples of actual in a Sentence
They signed the agreement in the spring, but the actual sale wasn't made until that summer.
You deposit money in a bank account but the actual money is not held there.
The actual cost of the repair was much higher than the estimate.
Recent Examples on the Web
Crypto deals raise questions Unless court orders are narrowly tailored to only cover the actual litigants, the administration argues, judges will have too much power to stall crucial presidential actions.
—
Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 12 May 2025
Those three projects, officially housing around 5,000 souls but probably double or triple that number in actual head count, are each unofficially run by a gang.
—Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 11 May 2025
Business Tech News #2 – CrowdStrike Unveils State of SMB Cybersecurity Report: High Awareness, Lagging Protection
CrowdStrike's 2025 State of SMB Cybersecurity Report reveals a significant gap between cybersecurity awareness and actual protection among small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
—Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
On their way into the T-Mobile Center, many attendees walked past actual fire and brimstone protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for actual
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Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 12 May 2025
Those three projects, officially housing around 5,000 souls but probably double or triple that number in actual head count, are each unofficially run by a gang.
—Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 11 May 2025
Business Tech News #2 – CrowdStrike Unveils State of SMB Cybersecurity Report: High Awareness, Lagging Protection
CrowdStrike's 2025 State of SMB Cybersecurity Report reveals a significant gap between cybersecurity awareness and actual protection among small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
—Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
On their way into the T-Mobile Center, many attendees walked past actual fire and brimstone protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for actual
Cite this Entry
“Actual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/actual. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
actual
adjective
ac·tu·al
ˈak-ch(ə-w)əl
ˈak-sh(ə-w)əl
: existing in fact and not merely as a possibility
actuality
noun
ˌak-chə-ˈwal-ət-ē
-shə-
actualization
noun
ˈak-ch(ə-w)ə-lə-ˈzā-shən
-sh(ə-w)ə-
actualize
verb
-ˌīz
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