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

Constant noise can eventually fade into the background, but initially it can be difficult to adjust.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

Astronomers have identified a little-studied population of faint remnant radio galaxies that appear to fade quickly after their central supermassive black holes stop producing powerful radio jets.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

"The war in Iran continues to pose downside risks, while the additional fiscal stimulus will fade in the years ahead," it said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

The Christmas special is due to explore "what happens after the wedding bells fade and real life begins", executive producer Jane Tranter said.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

“It helps if you focus on doing something. Like right now, my hands caring for the kalo. The whispers fade away.”

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

Cochrane cautioned that attention to the problem often rises during major El Niño fire seasons and fades once conditions improve.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026

The electricity demand for cooling peaks on still, hot evenings - just as the wind drops and solar fades, leaving gas to supply the extra energy.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 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

However, their allure fades over time, he added, while legacy clubs that have modernized their amenities retain their appeal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Here the evidence fades out for a time.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Sure, if Galliano had simply faded into obscurity or dug his heels in on his horrible comments, this would be another conversation entirely.

From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026

Prospects of an agreement on reopening the strait have faded, they add.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

But his athleticism slowly faded over the years and younger players took his place.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

The roles turned out wilder and more varied than he might have expected but his seriousness and sense of fun never faded, pushing boundaries and himself.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Immediately the woodlike sheen to his skin faded and turned to white-gray.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

The win, just their second in 10 games, breathed new life into the Galaxy’s fading playoff hopes, moving them to within a point of the postseason, pending the results of Saturday’s late MLS matches.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

The result indicates that two electronic channels are interfering with one another rather than simply fading in the standard way.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 5, 2026

This series sequel enlists Hunter Schafer and Michelle Yeoh to play rough in this dystopia, with Schafer as Cora, a human Blade Runner who teams with Yeoh’s Olwen, a fading replicant.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026

It is just after 8pm in Grangetown, Middlesbrough, and the light is fading.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

They were close to the road with fading yellow bricks when Seven stopped cold.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

Related Words

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