fade

verb

ˈfād 

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: such as

a

of an electronic signal : to continuously increase or decrease in strength

—usually used with in or out

"Exit 7a, funnily enough, is where Philadelphia radio fades out and New York fades in," [William] Bolger said.

—Stephen Stirling

b

of an image or video sequence : to smoothly increase or decrease in brightness

—usually used with in or out

One scene fades out as the next scene fades in.

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 verses.

—G. H. Genzmer

fader noun

Synonyms of fade

• disappear
• vanish

Examples of fade in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

But with this major-key arrangement, even the strongest lyrics fade into the background. —Hannah Jocelyn, Pitchfork, 9 June 2026

Despite, or perhaps because of, the torrent of cases against CHP politicians, attention is fading. —Kaya Genç, The Dial, 9 June 2026

None of this resembles a culture fading away. —John Kennedy, VIBE.com, 9 June 2026

Most newcomers fade out or establish only a small population, but every so often a species explodes on the scene and becomes problematic. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 9 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing fade

• fade-in
• fade into the woodwork
• fade-out
• fade to black
• pre-fade

Rhymes for fade

• aid
• aide
• bade
• blade
• braid
• clade
• dade
• flayed
• fraid
• frayed
• gade
• glade

Kids Definition

fade

1 of 2 verb

ˈfād 

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