true
true [true trues trued truing trueing truer truest] adjective, adverb, noun BrE [truː] NAmE [truː]
adjective (truer, tru·est)
CORRECT
1. connected with facts rather than things that have been invented or guessed
• Indicate whether the following statements are true or false.
• Is it true she's leaving?
•Can you prove that what you say is true?
•All the rumours turned out to be true.
•I think it would be true to say that the show was a success.
•That's not strictly (= completely) true.
•The novel is based on a true story.
•His excuse just doesn't ring (= sound) true.
•Unfortunately, these findings do not hold true (= are not valid) for women and children.
•The music is dull and uninspiring, and the same is true of the acting.
•You never spoke a truer word (= used to emphasize that you agree with what sb has just said).
Opp: ↑untrue
REAL
2. real or exact, especially when this is different from how sth seems
•the true face of war (= what it is really like rather than what people think it is like)
• The true cost of these experiments to the environment will not be known for years to come.
• He reveals his true character to very few people.
3. usually before noun having the qualities or characteristics of the thing mentioned
• It was true love between them.
• He's a true gentleman.
•The painting is a masterpiece in the truest sense of the word.
•He is credited with inventing the first true helicopter.
ADMITTING FACT
4. used to admit that a particular fact or statement is correct, although you think that sth else is more important
• It's true that he could do the job, but would he fit in with the rest of the team?
• ‘We could get it cheaper.’ ‘True, but would it be as good?’
LOYAL
5. showing respect and support for a particular person or belief in a way that does not change, even in different situations
•a true friend
•~ to sb/sth She has always been true to herself (= done what she thought was good, right, etc.).
•He was true to his word (= did what he promised to do).
•Many were executed for remaining true to their principles.
•Knights swore to be true to their lord.
ACCURATE
6. ~ (to sth) being an accurate version or copy of sth
•The movie is not true to the book.
•The painting is a true likeness of her.
7. not usually before noun (old-fashioned or literary)straight and accurate
•His aim was true (= he hit the target).
more at ring true/hollow/false at ↑ring 2 v., tried and true at ↑tried
Word Origin:
Old English trēowe, trȳwe ‘steadfast, loyal’; related to Dutch getrouw, German treu, also to ↑truce.
Word Family:
true adjective (≠ untrue)
truth noun
truthful adjective (≠ untruthful)
truthfully adverb
truly adverb
Language Bank:
nevertheless
Conceding a point and making a counter-argument
While ▪ the film is undoubtedly too long, it is nevertheless ▪ an intriguing piece of cinema.
It can be argued that ▪ the movie is too long. It is nonetheless ▪ an intriguing piece of cinema.
▪ The film is undoubtedly too long. Still ▪, it is an intriguing piece of cinema.
Of course ▪, huge chunks of the book have been sacrificed in order to make a two-hour movie, but ▪ it is nevertheless ▪ a successful piece of storytelling.
▪ Critics are wrong to argue that the film's plot is too complicated. Certainly ▪ there are a couple of major twists, but ▪ audiences will have no difficulty following them.
It is true that ▪ you cannot make a good movie without a good script, but it is equally true ▪ that a talented director can make a good script into an excellent film.
It remains to be seen whether ▪ these two movies herald a new era of westerns, but there is no doubt that ▪ they represent welcome additions to the genre.
Language Banks at ↑argue, ↑however, ↑impersonal, ↑opinion
Synonyms:
true
right • correct
These words all describe sth that cannot be doubted as fact and includes no mistakes.
true • connected with facts rather than things that have been invented or guessed: ▪ Are the following statements ▪ true or false ▪? ◇ ▪ Is it ▪ true (that) ▪ she's leaving?
right • that is true and cannot be doubted as a fact: ▪ I got about half the answers right. ◇ ▪ What's the right time?
correct • right according to the facts and without any mistakes: ▪ Only one of the answers is correct. ◇ ▪ Check that all the details are correct.
right or correct?
Correct is more formal than right and is more likely to be used in official or formal instructions or documents.
right/correct about sb/sth
the true/right/correct answer
the right/correct time
Example Bank:
•All her wishes came true.
•He has stayed true to his word.
•He was true to his word, and turned up on time.
•Her explanation doesn't ring quite true.
•I have never felt more true to myself.
•It is literally true that I never heard of him until I was in my late twenties.
•It was like a dream come true.
•It's hardly true to call cleaning windows a ‘profession’.
•It's perfectly true that I didn't help much, but I was busy.
•She stayed true to her principles.
•That is undoubtedly true.
•That's not strictly true, I'm afraid.
•The story is more or less true.
•This degree of inequality was by no means true of all 19th-century marriages.
•This is in fact true in most situations.
•This is particularly true of older women.
•This principle holds true for all states.
•We hope that this will prove true.
•What applies at a local level holds doubly true at a national level.
•What is true for buyers is equally true for sellers.
•While technically true, this is unfair.
•While this is certainly true for some, it is not the case for others.
•‘We could get it cheaper.’ ‘True, but would it be as good?’
•He's a true gentleman.
•His excuse just doesn't ring true.
•I think it would be true to say that the show was a success.
•Indicate whether the following statements are true or false.
•Is it true (that) she's leaving?
•Is it your wish that I should sign these minutes as a true record of that meeting?
•It's true that he could do the job, but would he fit in with the rest of the team?
•Many were executed for remaining true to their principles.
•She is not the true owner of this house.
•That's not strictly true.
•The article isn't at all true to what I actually said.
•The movie isn't really true to the book.
•The music is dull and uninspiring and the same is true of the acting.
•The novel is based on a true story.
•The true cost of these experiments to the environment will not be known for years to come.
•This account is now accepted as a true reflection of what actually happened.
•Through that difficult period he proved to be a true friend.
•True to her prediction, it began snowing later that day.
•Unfortunately, these findings do not hold true for women and children.
•You never spoke a truer word.
•the true face of socialism
Idioms: ↑come true ▪ ↑out of true ▪ ↑too good to be true ▪ ↑true to form ▪ ↑true to life ▪ ↑your true colours
adverb (old-fashioned or literary)
STRAIGHT
1. in a direct line
•The arrow flew straight and true to the target.
•He shot true.
CORRECTLY
2. speak ~ to tell the truth
•He had spoken truer than he knew.
Word Origin:
Old English trēowe, trȳwe ‘steadfast, loyal’; related to Dutch getrouw, German treu, also to ↑truce.
Word Family:
true adjective (≠ untrue)
truth noun
truthful adjective (≠ untruthful)
truthfully adverb
truly adverb
noun
Word Origin:
Old English trēowe, trȳwe ‘steadfast, loyal’; related to Dutch getrouw, German treu, also to ↑truce.
Word Family:
true adjective (≠ untrue)
truth noun
truthful adjective (≠ untruthful)
truthfully adverb
truly adverb
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