faints

American

[feynts] / feɪnts /

Or feints

noun

(used with a plural verb)

the impure spirit produced in the first and last stages of the distillation of whiskey.

faints British

/ feɪnts /

plural noun

a variant spelling of feints

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of faints

1735–45; noun use (in plural) of faint (adj.)

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.

Yasser regularly faints when she tries to stand.

From Barron's • Mar. 22, 2026

When Louise, angling for attention, participates in her church’s Inner Beauty pageant, her talent is holding her breath until she faints.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 7, 2026

O’Sullivan determined that Darcie was suffering psychosomatic seizures and faints, very real but not caused by a physical problem.

From Salon • May 13, 2025

One woman faints, and another slumps into her chair and wails.

From BBC • Sep. 10, 2023

Everybody knows that I’m the girl who’s really shy and practically faints at the sight of a boy.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023