True has 21 different meanings across 5 categories:
Noun · Verb · Adjective · Adverb · Proper Noun
proper alignment; the property possessed by something that is in correct or proper alignment
"out of true"
The state of being in alignment.
"The true north on his compass was perfectly aligned with the magnetic needle after he recalibrated it."
In plain English: A true is a person who has been appointed to a position of authority by their peers.
"The true value of the coin was much lower than I had expected."
To straighten (of something that is supposed to be straight).
"The carpenter used a level to true the wobbly shelf before painting it."
In plain English: To say that something is true means to declare it as a fact or to tell the truth about it.
"The old prophecy came true when he found the hidden treasure."
consistent with fact or reality; not false
"the story is true"
"it is undesirable to believe a proposition when there is no ground whatever for supposing it true"
"the true meaning of the statement"
devoted (sometimes fanatically) to a cause or concept or truth
"true believers bonded together against all who disagreed with them"
conforming to definitive criteria
"the horseshoe crab is not a true crab"
"Pythagoras was the first true mathematician"
worthy of being depended on
"a dependable worker"
"an honest working stiff"
"a reliable source of information"
"he was true to his word"
"I would be true for there are those who trust me"
determined with reference to the earth's axis rather than the magnetic poles
"true north is geographic north"
Conforming to the actual state of reality or fact; factually correct.
"The technician confirmed that the output pin was high, indicating a true state for the Boolean flag in the control loop."
one of two states of a Boolean variable; logic 1.
In plain English: True means something is real, correct, or matches exactly what actually happened.
Usage: Use true when describing facts, statements, or beliefs that match reality, rather than using it as an intensifier like very good. Distinguish between a statement being objectively true and someone having genuine feelings by pairing true with words like accurate for data and sincere for emotions.
Accurately.
"The new sensor provides a truly accurate reading of the room's temperature, making it a true reflection of reality."
In plain English: True means being honest and telling the facts without lying.
"True to his promise, he arrived right on time."
A surname.
"My neighbor, Mr. True, always greets me with a warm smile when I walk by his house."
The word "true" comes from the Old English trīewe, which originally meant "trusty" or "faithful." It traveled into modern English through Middle English while retaining its core sense of reliability, ultimately tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "steady" or "firm."