fade

1 of 3

verb

faded; fading

intransitive verb

1
: to lose freshness, strength, or vitality : wither
fading flowers
2
: to lose freshness or brilliance of color
The fabrics faded in the strong sunshine.
3
: to sink away : vanish
a fading memory
The smile faded from his face.
4
: to change gradually in loudness, strength, or visibility
used of a motion-picture image or of an electronics signal and usually with in or out
One scene fades out as the next scene fades in.
The radio signal faded out as we got further away from the station.
5
of an automobile brake : to lose braking power gradually
6
: to move back from the line of scrimmage
used of a quarterback
7
of a ball or shot : to move in a slight to moderate slice

transitive verb

: to cause to fade
time has not completely faded the humor of these versesG. H. Genzmer
fader noun

fade

2 of 3

noun

1
a
b
: a gradual changing of one picture to another in a motion-picture or television sequence
2
: a fading of an automobile brake
3
: a slight to moderate and usually intentional slice in golf
4
: a hairstyle similar to a crew cut in which the hair on top of the head stands high

fade

3 of 3

adjective

Examples of fade in a Sentence

Verb The flowers were fading in the vase. the fading light of late afternoon She was fading fast from the effects of the pneumonia. We watched the ship gradually fade from view as it sailed away. The smile faded from his face. Hopes for a quick end of the crisis are fading fast. Their reasons for leaving have faded from memory. He's trying to recapture the faded glory of his youth. The band's popularity has faded in recent years. The fabric will fade unless you protect it from the sunlight. Noun The movie ends with a fade to black.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
But within months, the knock-knock burglars began to fade as police suspects because the police were hanging on to a big secret. Michelle Miller, CBS News, 9 Mar. 2024 Best of all though, these markers don’t fade, smear over other fresh ink, or dry out—even if they’re left uncapped. Stephanie Osmanski, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2024 Dates have not been released for 2024, but typically, the Missouri dogwoods begin to bloom in mid-April and start to fade in early May. Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2024 World & Nation Trudeau says India may be linked to a Sikh activist’s slaying in Canada Sept. 18, 2023 As India cracked down on Sikhs in the name of fighting terrorism, the militancy faded and more Sikhs left the country. Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 The remnants of Europe’s solar industry are now fading away. Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 The vegetal flavors faded as the brown sugar and vanilla in the cookie took center stage. Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 6 Mar. 2024 Relationships fade away if there is little contact. Liz Weston, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024 But most common respiratory viruses that are transmitted between children faded away almost entirely, and Kawasaki disease did not — in fact, the number of children under 12 months with Kawasaki disease did not change much at all, hinting that some exposure inside homes continued to affect infants. Emily Baumgaertner Ariana Drehsler, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024
Noun
In a video on Bonds’ Instagram, wide receiver Sky Moore admires his fresh cut, turning to the side to show his fade. Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2024 Regan — who has been Kelce's go-to barber for six years — also revealed that the NFL star's girlfriend, Taylor Swift, is a fan of his fade. Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 6 Feb. 2024 David Jones had 32 points and 11 rebounds for Memphis (15-4, 4-2), and his block on James' mid-range fade as the shot clock expired gave the Tigers the ball, down by two, with 14 seconds left. Brett Martel, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2024 Booker responded with a 3 and went on to hit nine of his first 11 shots on a mix of pull-ups, turnarounds, fades, floaters and three 3s to reach 25 points before the first quarter ended. Brett Martel, USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2024 Sonoma occasionally looks more graceful than Ventura and earlier macOS versions, most notably in the fades into and out of screensavers and the lock screen, but Control Center controls and notifications and widgets all look and feel mostly static. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 26 Sep. 2023 There are eight lighting modes (combination, sequential, in waves, slow glow, chasing/flash, slow fade, twinkle, and steady on) that turn the tree into a fantastical light display. Gabriela Izquierdo, Southern Living, 15 Nov. 2023 So, all the Miami Dolphins did Saturday night was finish their Meltdown On Ice and complete their slow fade over the past few weeks of another disappointing season with a 26-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the opening round of the playoffs. Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2024 Broden showed great concentration to bring in a 19-yard fade with Denver Harris pulling his jersey while draped on his back. Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French *fader, from fade feeble, insipid, from Vulgar Latin *fatidus, alteration of Latin fatuus fatuous, insipid

Noun

derivative of fade entry 1

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1918, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fade was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near fade

Cite this Entry

“Fade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fade. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fade

1 of 2 verb
faded; fading
1
: to lose freshness or health
fading flowers
2
: to lose or cause to lose brightness of color
3
: to disappear gradually
a fading memory
4
: to change gradually in loudness or visibility
used of a motion-picture image or of an electronics signal and usually with in or out

fade

2 of 2 noun
: a gradual changing of one picture to another in a motion-picture or television sequence

More from Merriam-Webster on fade

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!