Facts refers to something actual as opposed to invented. It commonly describes something which is real, something concrete used as a basis for further interpretation, and an objective consensus on a fundamental reality that has been agreed upon by a substantial number of experts, which gives the term a broader and more practical sense than a single short definition would suggest. Depending on context, it can also point to information about a particular subject, especially actual conditions and/or circumstances, an individual value or measurement at the lowest level of granularity in a data warehouse, and action; the realm of action, so the category can cover literal uses, related ideas, and more figurative extensions of the same core meaning. Taken together, these meanings present Facts as a flexible theme rather than a narrowly technical label, covering the central idea people usually mean when they use the word while still leaving room for closely related senses that appear in real language. Additional shades of meaning include a wrongful or criminal deed and a feat or meritorious deed, which reinforce how the category can stretch across adjacent but still recognizable uses of the same term. Facts therefore works well as a quotation category because it can hold direct statements about the subject, figurative uses that borrow its meaning, and broader reflections that stay anchored to the same central idea.
