1. In philosophy, the doctrine that practical consequences are the criteria of knowledge and meaning and value.
2. The attribute of accepting the facts of life and favoring practicality and literal truth.
3. A straightforward practical way of thinking about things or dealing with problems, concerned with results rather than with theories and principles.
4. A practical, matter-of-fact way of approaching or assessing situations or of solving problems.
5. A theory concerning the meaning of words originated by the American philosopher C. S. Pierce.

The term and basic idea was borrowed and developed by William James and John Dewey (1859-1952) to create a thoroughly Modern American Philosophy based on a theory which identified truth with the notion that whatever works is true.