# truth

/ˈtɹuθ/ (US) · /tɹˈuːθ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/truth
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. the real facts

noun · CEFR B1

the real facts about a situation or event.

For teachers: the body of real things, events, and facts; the actual state of a matter.

- It took a long time for the truth about the accident to come out.
- The investigative journalist spent months cross-referencing documents to uncover the truth behind the government's involvement in the scandal.

### 2. quality of being true

noun · CEFR B2

the quality of being true, honest, or accurate.

For teachers: the property or state of being in accordance with fact or reality.

- There is no truth in the rumours that the shop is closing.
- The defence attorney questioned the truth of the witness's testimony, pointing out several logical inconsistencies in the timeline.

### 3. a proven principle

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

a fact or belief that is accepted as being true.

For teachers: a fundamental or spiritual reality; a statement or tenet accepted as true.

- The book explores the basic truths of human nature.
- Philosophers have long debated whether moral truths are universal or merely products of specific cultural evolutions.

### 4. truth or dare

noun · CEFR B1 · Informal

the choice to answer a question honestly in the game 'truth or dare'.

For teachers: the specific option in the game 'truth or dare' where the participant must answer a question truthfully.

- She chose truth and had to admit who her secret crush was.
- After several rounds of increasingly difficult dares, he finally opted for truth, hoping for a less embarrassing turn.

### 5. physics property

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a special property of a tiny particle called a 'top quark'.

For teachers: a quantum number of quarks and hadrons, also known as topness.

- In particle physics, truth is a property related to the top quark.
- The researcher explained how the conservation of truth, or topness, is observed in high-energy particle collisions.

## Examples

- She always tells the truth, even when it is difficult.
- The detective spent months interviewing witnesses to uncover the truth about what happened that night.
- Philosophers have long debated whether absolute truth exists independently of human perception, or if all knowledge is inherently subjective and shaped by cultural context.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.