truth
noun /truːθ/
/truːθ/
(plural truths
/truːðz/
/truːðz/
)Word Family
Idioms - true adjective (≠ untrue)
- truth noun
- truthful adjective (≠ untruthful)
- truthfully adverb
- truly adverb
- the truth[singular] the true facts about something, rather than the things that have been invented or guessed
- Do you think she's telling the truth?
- We are determined to get at (= discover) the truth.
- She had only spoken the truth.
- So now you know the truth.
- I knew the truth would come out in the end.
- the truth is (that)… The truth is that there are no easy answers.
- The truth of the matter is we can’t afford to keep all the staff on.
- The sad truth is that, at 72, he is past his prime.
- The simple truth is that new roads just encourage more traffic.
- the truth about something I don't think you are telling me the whole truth about what happened.
- These documents reveal the truth about his past.
- The awful truth about his disappearance finally dawned on her.
- the truth behind something Only recently has the truth behind the killings emerged.
- It’s the gospel truth! (= completely true)
- I honestly don't know, and that's the truth.
Extra ExamplesTopics Doubt, guessing and certaintyb1- He was reminded of his duty to speak the truth when questioned in court.
- He was too fragile to handle the truth.
- Lawyers distorted the truth about the deal.
- She was determined to discover the truth about her boss.
- The simple truth is he's lost his job.
- They were motivated by the pursuit of the truth.
- Towards the end of the letter the cruel truth emerged.
- We are examining the matter to see where the truth lies (= which parts are true).
- We're going to try to get the truth out of this boy.
- What's the truth behind all the gossip?
- You've been hiding the truth from me!
- the hidden truth behind the events of the last four years
- the plain unvarnished truth
- the shocking truth about heroin addiction among the young
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- absolute
- gospel
- honest
- …
- element
- germ
- glimmer
- …
- know
- admit
- convey
- …
- be
- lie
- come out
- …
- in truth
- truth about
- truth behind
- …
- an/the arbiter of truth
- be economical with the truth
- moment of truth
- …
- [uncountable] the quality or state of being based on fact
- there is no/some/much, etc. truth in something There is no truth in the rumours.
- There is not a grain of truth in what she says.
- His version of events does contain an element of truth.
- You must be prepared to prove the truth of these allegations.
Extra Examples- It's a good film but contains little historical truth.
- His explanation has a ring of truth to it (= it sounds like it could be true).
- The police doubt the truth of his statement.
- Dare anyone deny the truth of what we have said?
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- absolute
- gospel
- honest
- …
- element
- germ
- glimmer
- …
- know
- admit
- convey
- …
- be
- lie
- come out
- …
- in truth
- truth about
- truth behind
- …
- an/the arbiter of truth
- be economical with the truth
- moment of truth
- …
- [countable] a fact that is believed by most people to be true
- universal truths
- She was forced to face up to a few unwelcome truths about her family.
Extra Examples- Science, like theology, reveals transcendent truths about a changing world.
- We hold these truths to be self-evident…
- in search of the eternal truths of life
- the deeper truths that often go unspoken
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- basic
- central
- common
- …
- establish
- reveal
- uncover
- …
- truth about
Word OriginOld English trīewth, trēowth ‘faithfulness, constancy’ (see true, -th).
Idioms
be economical with the truth
- if you say that somebody has been economical with the truth, you mean that they left out some important facts, but you do not want to say that they were lying
bend the truth
- to say something that is not completely true
- I wasn’t exactly lying when I said I hadn’t seen her—I was just bending the truth a little.
if (the) truth be known/told
- used to tell somebody the true facts about a situation, especially when these are not known by other people
- If the truth be known, I was afraid to tell anyone.
in truth
- (formal) used to emphasize the true facts about a situation
- She laughed and chatted but was, in truth, not having much fun.
the moment of truth
- a time when somebody/something is tested, or when important decisions are made
- The moment of truth is when the trainee pilots take over the controls of the plane.
nothing could be further from the truth
- used to say that a fact or comment is completely false
- She thinks I don’t like her but nothing could be further from the truth.
- I know you think she's mean, but nothing could be further from the truth.
to tell (you) the truth
- (informal) used when admitting something
- To tell you the truth, I'll be glad to get home.
- I got a bit big-headed, to tell the truth.
- To tell you the truth, I'm rather dreading his return.
truth is stranger than fiction
- (saying) used to say that things that actually happen are often more surprising than stories that are invented
(the) truth will out
- (saying) used to say that people will find out the true facts about a situation even if you try to keep them secret