fade

American  

[fayd] / feɪd /

verb (used without object)

• fades,
  present (3rd person singular)
• faded,
  past participle,  past
• fading
  present participle

1. to lose brightness or vividness of color.

2. to become dim, as light, or lose brightness of illumination.

3. to lose freshness, vigor, strength, or health.

   The tulips have faded.

4. to disappear or die gradually (often followed by away orout ).

   His anger faded away.

5. Movies, Television.

   1. to appear gradually, especially by becoming lighter (usually followed byin ).

   2. to disappear gradually, especially by becoming darker (usually followed byout ).

6. Broadcasting, Recording.

   1. to increase gradually in volume of sound, as in recording or broadcasting music, dialogue, etc. (usually followed byin ).

   2. to decrease gradually in volume of sound (usually followed byout ).

7. Football. (of an offensive back, especially a quarterback) to move back toward one's own goal line, usually with the intent to pass, after receiving the snapback from center or a hand-off or lateral pass behind the line of scrimmage (usually followed byback ).

   The quarterback was tackled while fading back for a pass.

8. (of an automotive brake) to undergo brake fade.

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verb (used with object)

• fades,
  present (3rd person singular)
• faded,
  past participle,  past
• fading
  present participle

1. to cause to fade.

   Sunshine faded the drapes.

2. Movies, Television.

   1. to cause (a scene) to appear gradually (usually followed byin ).

   2. to cause (a scene) to disappear gradually (usually followed byout ).

3. Broadcasting, Recording. to cause (the volume of sound) to increase or decrease gradually (usually followed by in orout ).

4. (in dice throwing) to make a wager against (the caster).

noun

• fades
  plural

1. an act or instance of fading.

2. Movies, Television Informal. a fade-out.

3. a style of short haircut in which the hair on the top of the head is all one length, while the hair on the sides and back of the head is closely cut or shaved to a gradually shorter length from top to bottom, giving the appearance of the hair shading from darker to lighter.

4. Automotive. brake fade.

fade British  

/ feɪd /

verb

1. to lose or cause to lose brightness, colour, or clarity

2. (intr) to lose freshness, vigour, or youth; wither

3. (intr; usually foll by away or out) to vanish slowly; die out

4. 1. to decrease the brightness or volume of (a television or radio programme or film sequence) or (of a television programme, etc) to decrease in this way

   2. to decrease the volume of (a sound) in a recording system or (of a sound) to be so reduced in volume

5. (intr) (of the brakes of a vehicle) to lose power

6. to cause (a golf ball) to move with a controlled left-to-right trajectory or (of a golf ball) to veer gradually from left to right

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noun

1. the act or an instance of fading

Synonym Usage

See disappear.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• fadedness
  noun
• fader
  noun
• prefade
  verb (used with object)
• fadable
  adjective
• unfadable
  adjective
• unfading
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• fades
  plural

Participles

• fading
  present
• faded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• fade
  simple
• fades
  simple
• have faded
  perfect
• has faded
  perfect
• am fading
  progressive
• are fading
  progressive
• is fading
  progressive
• have been fading
  perfect progressive
• has been fading
  perfect progressive

Past

• faded
  simple
• had faded
  perfect
• was fading
  progressive
• were fading
  progressive
• had been fading
  perfect progressive

Future

• will fade
  simple
• will have faded
  perfect
• will be fading
  progressive
• will have been fading
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of fade

First recorded in 1275–1325; 1915–20 fade for def. 5; Middle English faden, derivative of fade “pale, dull,” from Anglo-French, Old French, from unattested Vulgar Latin fatidus, for Latin fatuus fatuous

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Explanation

When things fade, they gradually become less clear or more faint. When you wake up after having a strange dream, its details quickly begin to fade unless you write them down right away. Dreams usually fade once you wake up, and sunlight begins to fade toward the end of the day. Sounds can fade too, as when the music you can hear from a passing car begins to fade as it moves down the road. Disappointments in life can make your hopes and dreams fade, and the smell of cut flowers will eventually fade as well. The Old French root word, fader, means "weaken, wilt, or wither."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fade fades faded fading

But if they didn’t have the goods after three LPs so far, they’d fade out soon enough.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

The findings offer a deeper understanding of why certain experiences leave such powerful impressions while others quickly fade.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

After the robots noisily clunked down the stairs, the strangeness of the encounter began to fade.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

They expect this contribution to fade to 0.1 point in the coming year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

For she still stood on the avenue, unwilling to fade into memory.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Investors should look for customers who continue paying and renew their contracts after the initial enthusiasm fades.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

For some supernovae, these graphs form a rounded, bell-like shape as the exploding star grows brighter and then gradually fades.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026

But then "the joy fades, the adrenaline subsides, and you're faced with the reality of having to return to normal life again."

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

Moments after the final rapid-fire rhythm of Anthrax’s opening number “Caught in a Mosh” fades from the open air of the Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J., shaggy-headed vocalist Joey Belladonna addresses the audience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

The symbol flashes and then fades into nothing.

From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston

Having a plan is another matter, and that’s why I never ran for mayor, and why Pratt faded out of the picture.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

Safer markets that are cheaper to invest in are likely to offer lower future returns, precisely because the risks of the past have faded.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Spices that had faded into the background suddenly become legible again.

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026

That’s what happened after the pandemic faded away in 2021 and 2022.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026

“But with the glimourie fading, the waters are changing. The power of the waters around the island may have faded too. I say I risk it.”

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

By 2027, Goldman anticipates core PCE falling closely towards the Fed’s 2% target, chiefly because tariffs and the Iran energy shock are fading in potency.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

Not only did he offer to help out Piastri late in the race as the Australian was trying to pass Lewis Hamilton's fading Ferrari, but he also finally took full responsibility for the incident.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

"However, instead of fading away, the source continued emitting episodes of soft X-rays for nearly ten minutes."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

One stunning shot follows the group from behind as they are silhouetted by the setting sun whose fading rays show off the clouds’ contours.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Though the gold markings were fading from his skin now that they’d accomplished their first task, it was the same magic that was in the paper.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

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Related Words

• abate
• deteriorate
• dim
• diminish
• disappear
• dissolve
• ebb
• evaporate
• fail
• fall
• lessen
• melt
• peter out
• sink
• vanish
• wane
• weaken
• wilt
• wither

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