True Definition

tro͝o

trued, trueing, truer, trues, truest, truing

adjective

truer, truest

In accordance with fact; that agrees with reality; not false.

Webster's New World

Reliable; certain.

A true indication.

Webster's New World

Faithful; loyal; constant.

Webster's New World

Properly called.

True value.

American Heritage

Real; genuine; authentic.

A true diamond.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Antonyms:
false
untruthful

adverb

In accord with reality, fact, or truthfulness.

American Heritage

In a true manner; truly, truthfully, accurately, etc.

Webster's New World

With the same inherited trait or traits as a parent; without variation.

To breed true.

Webster's New World

Unswervingly; exactly.

The archer aimed true.

American Heritage

So as to conform to a type, standard, or pattern.

American Heritage

Synonyms:

verb

trued, trues, truing

To fit, place, or shape accurately.

Webster's New World

To position (something) so as to make it balanced, level, or square.

Trued up the long planks.

American Heritage

To straighten.

He trued the spokes of the bicycle wheel.

Wiktionary

To make even, level, symmetrical, or accurate, align; adjust.

We spent all night truing up the report.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Synonyms:
true-up

noun

trues

That which is true; truth or reality.

Webster's New World

Proper alignment or adjustment.

Out of true.

American Heritage

Synonyms:

Synonyms:
truth-desiring
truth-bearing

idiom

come true

to happen in fulfillment of an expectation, prediction, wish, etc.; become a realized fact

Webster's New World

in true

properly set, adjusted, aligned, etc.; exact

Webster's New World

out of true

not properly set, adjusted, aligned, etc.; inexact

Webster's New World

true to form

being or behaving as expected

Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of True

Adjective

Base Form:

true

Comparative:

truer

Superlative:

truest

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to True

Origin of True

From Middle English trewe, from Old English trÄ«ewe, (Mercian) trÄ“owe (“trusty, faithful"), from Proto-Germanic *triwwiz (compare Dutch getrouw and trouw, German treu, Swedish trygg (“safe, secure'"), from pre-Germanic *dreu̯hâ‚‚i̯os, from Proto-Indo-European *druhâ‚‚, *dreu̯hâ‚‚ "˜steady, firm' (compare Irish dearbh (“sure"), Old Prussian druwis (“faith"), Ancient Greek droós (“firm")), extension of *dóru "˜tree'. More at tree.For semantic development, compare Latin robustus (“tough") from robur (“red oak").

From Wiktionary
Middle English trewe from Old English trēowe firm, trustworthy deru- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition