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
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.
“I’ve had to learn piano in a movie, I’ve learned drums for David Chase, and it reminded me of those experiences,” says the actor, who played Douglas in “Not Fade Away.”
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2024
I did a film called “Not Fade Away” a few years ago — which is nothing like this — about a guy who is very insecure who transcends into becoming a local rock star.
From Salon • Apr. 12, 2024
Kovalenko's documentary, "We Will Not Fade Away", opens in the Panorama section of the Berlinale on Feb. 22, forming part of a broader Ukraine focus at this year's festival.
From Reuters • Feb. 3, 2023
Fade out and flash forward: It’s been one year since Pamela was ousted, and we get a cursory look at what the people of the Commonwealth have been up to in the interim.
From New York Times • Nov. 20, 2022
He concentrated on his Fade, took another step.
From "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman
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.
