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

Many stars are poor candidates because chemical signatures from swallowed planets can fade or become difficult to distinguish.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026

As the afternoon wears on, the wind begins to fade and the kites slowly drift back to earth.

From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026

Eventually, the Metro ride I endured will fade from memory, and the photograph will too.

From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026

If rate-hike expectations fade because oil prices move lower, or the labor market starts to weaken, investors could see the buck’s 2026 gains start to reverse in a more meaningful way, he added.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026

I flush the toilet and turn on the sink, splashing cold water onto my face until the pink splotches fade from my cheeks.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

And that could mean investors and creditors that are banking on the survival of these contracts will be in for a nasty surprise if the AI boom fades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

The data indicate many IPOs lag the broader market for up to 2½ years, as early enthusiasm fades and insider selling increases supply.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 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

Through my glass, Barrio de las Letras fades into its own rosy haze.

From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026

“Not really,” I say, and her smile fades.

From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio

He said in a statement that he had been "astonished that such an important story had largely faded from public memory".

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

For all its immortal ideas and all those outsized news reports of people fainting, “The Exorcist” could’ve faded from memory if so much of what came after didn’t prove to be a cheap imitation.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

Witkoff has become so ubiquitous in international transactions that his role as the co-founder of Trump’s business has all but faded into the gilt wallpaper of the Oval Office.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026

The researchers found that the animals' curiosity was strongest immediately after they encountered the crystal and slowly faded over time, a pattern similar to the way novelty wears off in humans.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026

Now here came a bloodred moon on the rise through the sycamores while purple light still faded in the west.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

We start by accepting that the familiar culture is fading away as intelligent machines appear in our society and we do not know what is coming.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

But belief in the American dream is fading.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

Playing their first Test in Pakistan for 17 years, England claimed the most dramatic of victories late on day five in the fading light of Rawalpindi.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

The pattern is expected to prolong an unrelated existing marine heat wave off the coast of California, which otherwise would have been expected to start fading between October and December.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 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

Related Words

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