fade

American  

[feyd] / 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

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fade fades faded fading

Overnight and into Thursday morning, the impact of Bessent’s move began to fade as long-term yields ticked up once again.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

As the event began to fade, however, weak signatures of hydrogen and helium gas appeared.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

What separates those who last from those who fade away?

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Oil prices extended hefty gains Tuesday as hopes for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz fade, fanning fresh inflation fears and ramping up bets on at least one US interest rate hike this year.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

He walked away, his self-made light the last thing to fade in the dark forest.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

Plus, a higher risk for lung cancer never completely fades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

As the song closes, she makes one last confession: “Everything fades away, except for you.”

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

It means early light will tell your tired brain it is time to switch on, and it also tells your body to feel sleepy when daylight fades.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

Stocks in the space sector are deepening their declines on Thursday as the SpaceX halo fades further.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026

As she speaks, the glass in her hand fades, but the wine remains, floating in the air.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Most of the rosy posts made some mention of the fact that Columbia House’s operation was unethical at best, but that the customer-service runarounds, unwelcome bills and general scuzziness had all faded with time.

From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026

But his fortunes faded amid a dying market for syndicated TV and clashes with a distributor and partner.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

But the prosecutors say this was "overstated", arguing her conditions would improve over time, especially as her notoriety faded.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

—Yields on eurozone government bonds edged higher as prospects of a U.S.-Iran peace deal faded, raising concerns about prolonged supply chain disruptions and inflation risk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

The spot is still damp and discolored, but at least the fabric is warmer and the white flowers have faded to a less disgusting green.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

If so, the same mechanism that may explain fading rpTDE flares could also help astronomers understand some of the unusual stellar populations surrounding the black hole in what Coughlin calls "our own cosmological backyard."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

A new shop opened along Greenock's fading High Street in May.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Residents of hard-hit Pereira are still hoping for a miracle, but optimism is fading.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

Favorable base effects should flatter retail sales although the boost from the government’s consumer-goods trade-in program is fading, Goldman said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Sure enough, the same woman’s spirit joined them— repeatedly fading and materializing.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

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