fade
Americanverb (used without object)
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to lose brightness or vividness of color.
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to become dim, as light, or lose brightness of illumination.
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to lose freshness, vigor, strength, or health.
The tulips have faded.
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to disappear or die gradually (often followed by away orout ).
His anger faded away.
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Movies, Television.
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to appear gradually, especially by becoming lighter (usually followed byin ).
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to disappear gradually, especially by becoming darker (usually followed byout ).
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Broadcasting, Recording.
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to increase gradually in volume of sound, as in recording or broadcasting music, dialogue, etc. (usually followed byin ).
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to decrease gradually in volume of sound (usually followed byout ).
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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.
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(of an automotive brake) to undergo brake fade.
verb (used with object)
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to cause to fade.
Sunshine faded the drapes.
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Movies, Television.
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to cause (a scene) to appear gradually (usually followed byin ).
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to cause (a scene) to disappear gradually (usually followed byout ).
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Broadcasting, Recording. to cause (the volume of sound) to increase or decrease gradually (usually followed by in orout ).
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(in dice throwing) to make a wager against (the caster).
noun
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an act or instance of fading.
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Movies, Television Informal. a fade-out.
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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.
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Automotive. brake fade.
verb
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to lose or cause to lose brightness, colour, or clarity
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(intr) to lose freshness, vigour, or youth; wither
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(intr; usually foll by away or out) to vanish slowly; die out
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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
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to decrease the volume of (a sound) in a recording system or (of a sound) to be so reduced in volume
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(intr) (of the brakes of a vehicle) to lose power
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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
noun
Synonym Usage
See disappear.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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fadednessnoun
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fadernoun
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prefadeverb (used with object)
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fadableadjective
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unfadableadjective
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unfadingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fadesimple
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fadessimple
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have fadedperfect
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has fadedperfect
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am fadingprogressive
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are fadingprogressive
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is fadingprogressive
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have been fadingperfect progressive
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has been fadingperfect progressive
Past
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fadedsimple
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had fadedperfect
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was fadingprogressive
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were fadingprogressive
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had been fadingperfect progressive
Future
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
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."
Vocabulary lists containing fade
"The Song of Wandering Aengus" by W.B. Yeats
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"The Lotus Seed"
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Sonnet 18
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Eventually, the Metro ride I endured will fade from memory, and the photograph will too.
From Salon • Jul. 10, 2026
The central bankers also agreed that they could stay on hold if price pressures fade soon.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026
New capacity or new competitors entering the market could suggest the AI hardware boom is moving into a later stage — one where pricing power starts to fade and margins come under pressure.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 7, 2026
Despite that incident, which was booed by the crowd, Djokovic quickly reset and launched a decisive fourth-set response, breaking to love in the second game as Safiullin's challenge began to fade.
From BBC • Jul. 5, 2026
By late morning its light began to fade.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
