fiat

noun

fi·​at ˈfē-ət 

-ˌat, 

-ˌät;

ˈfī-ət, 

-ˌat 

1

: an authoritative or arbitrary order : decree

government by fiat

2

: an authoritative determination : dictate

a fiat of conscience

3

: a command or act of will that creates something without or as if without further effort

According to the Bible, the world was created by fiat.

Synonyms of fiat

• decree
• edict
• ruling
• directive

Examples of fiat in a Sentence

He runs the company by fiat.

the school principal issued a fiat that caps were not to be worn inside the school, and that was that

Recent Examples on the Web

Few institutions will want to build blockchain connectivity, wallet infrastructure, liquidity access, fiat conversion rails and multi-jurisdiction compliance controls from scratch. — Pratik Khowala, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Bitget has scheduled withdrawals for its remaining cryptocurrencies, along with fiat and peer-to-peer services, to resume on Friday. — Matthew Tan, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026

Moral judgment is not a matter of timeless fiats, even were they proclaimed by the Lord of Hosts. — Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026

Baldwin’s position was that the centrality of slavery and racial subjugation in American history could not simply be reversed by legislative fiat. — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 22 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin, let it be done, 3rd singular present subjunctive of fieri to become, be done — more at be

First Known Use

circa 1631, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing fiat

• fiat currency
• fiat money

Rhymes for fiat

• panchayat

Kids Definition

fiat

noun

fi·​at ˈfē-ət  -at 

-ät;

ˈfī-ət, 

-at

: an order from someone in charge

Legal Definition

fiat

noun

fi·​at ˈfē-ˌät, -ˌat, -ət; ˈfī-ˌat 

1

: decree

2

: an authoritative but arbitrary order

a brazen act of judicial fiat

—L. H. Tribe