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

• bull
• decree
• diktat
• directive
• edict
• rescript
• ruling
• ukase

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

These tokens shouldn't be convertible into fiat currency, nor should they be intended to act like stock certificates or securities. —Charles Morey, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025

Public health by fiat, or by tweet, achieves neither. —Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 31 May 2025

Stablecoins offer crypto investors a place to store their profits without converting the gains into fiat currency. —Max Zahn, ABC News, 28 May 2025

Coming from someone who helped architect modern digital payments, the statement underscores a generational shift away from fiat rails and toward decentralized value transfer. —Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025

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 money

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