fade

verb \ ˈfād \

|Updated on: 20 Jun 2018

Examples: fade in a Sentence

Definition of fade

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 verses
—G. H. Genzmer

—

fader

noun

See fade defined for English-language learners

See fade defined for kids

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 of fade from the Web

But church attendance among young people has fallen ever since; the military draft ended in 1973 and the experience of war faded for most.

— yonat shimron, Houston Chronicle, "Younger adults are less religious, and not only in the U.S.," 16 June 2018
Its fading memory will not derail the scandals at home, and will not be a factor in the midterms.

— frank rich, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump’s Summit Spectacle Was Just a Momentary Distraction From His Bigger Problems," 13 June 2018
Satellites become worn and faded like anything else.

— mejs hasan, WIRED, "How Scientists Tracked Antarctica's Stunning Ice Loss," 13 June 2018
The Macy’s logo and signature star are visible above the shelter’s entrance, while some of the floors are covered in the store’s faded carpet and white tiles. Toilets and sinks were pulled from a former Lord & Taylor and relocated to the shelter.

— michael corkery, New York Times, "A Macy’s Goes From Mall Mainstay to Homeless Shelter," 13 June 2018
Streisand is giving an early thumbs-up to the fourth version of the romance between a rising young performer and a fading one, which Cooper directed.

— Fox News, "Barbra Streisand approves Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's 'A Star Is Born' remake," 13 June 2018
Golf fans generally see him as a fading legend battling injuries and demons, pursuing the final four majors that would equal Jack Nicklaus’ l8.

— marcus hayes, Philly.com, "Tiger Woods still 'moves the needle' at the U.S. Open | Marcus Hayes," 12 June 2018
Their fear of being shut out in some top-two primaries is a fast-fading memory — there will be a Democrat on the November ballot in all the targeted districts.

— john wildermuth, San Francisco Chronicle, "Is Orange County fertile ground for the left? California Dems are counting on it," 11 June 2018
Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads, $10 SHOP IT Serum Gently fades discoloration and smooths skin.

— kaitlin menza, Marie Claire, "It Only Took One Sunburn to Ruin My Face Forever," 8 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fade.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of fade

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

fade Synonyms

fade

noun

Definition of fade

1 a : fade-out

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

See fade defined for English-language learners

Examples of fade in a Sentence

The movie ends with a fade to black.

Recent Examples of fade from the Web

They were taken to jail, and the two officers who caught the fade were treated a local hospital for non life-threatening injuries.

— monique judge, The Root, "White Family Beats Down 2 Police Officers, Miraculously No One Gets Shot," 7 June 2018
Made on old Japanese looms and using old-fashioned indigo-dyeing techniques, Japanese denim is rougher than its American counterpart, with sharper fade and crease lines.

— suryatapa bhattacharya, WSJ, "The Hottest Jeans Cost $2,000 and Are Made in Japan," 5 June 2018
The research center's Ilya Benesch has witnessed the slow and interesting fade of a mining building in Poorman, Alaska, which benefited from a still-intact tin roof.

— ned rozell, Anchorage Daily News, "Alaska structures crumble without human attention. Water is the main cause.," 4 June 2018
Then go into a 1-guard while blending into the fade.

— adam hurly, GQ, "How to Get Nick Jonas’s Haircut from the Met Gala," 8 May 2018
Noticeably, Melania's presence is growing as Ivanka's fades.

— the washington post, OregonLive.com, "Melania Trump's complicated life inside a most untraditional White House," 7 May 2018
Noticeably, Melania's presence is growing as Ivanka's fades.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "1 year after moving into the White House, Melania Trump finds her way," 6 May 2018
The piece’s most exciting passages, including a heart-touching final fade, find the cellos struggling to maintain a steady rhythm while the music slips and slides — sections in which unstuckness becomes, for once, the music’s true subject matter.

— joshua kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, "San Francisco Symphony does right by little-known Prokofiev," 4 May 2018
Now, as the business model that sustained newspapers in the 20th century fades, the 19th-century model and its accompanying journalistic norms might be making a comeback.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "‘Baby Breitbarts’ Might Be the Future of Local Newspapers," 1 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of fade

derivative of ¹fade

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1918

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Broadcasting Terms

continuity, dissolve, feed, remote, residual, spike, wipe

fade

adjective \ ˈfäd \

Definition of fade

: insipid, commonplace

Origin and Etymology of fade

Middle English, from Anglo-French

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Financial Definition of FADE

fade

noun

What It Is

A fade is an investment strategy devoted to doing the opposite of the prevailing wisdom. In the brokerage sector, it also refers to a dealer's inability or refusal to fill an order at the prevailing bid/ask spread the dealer has published (that is, the dealer "fades" from trading).

How It Works

Fade investors love to do what's out of favor. They tend to buy when everyone else is selling, sell when everyone else is buying, and wait when everyone else is active. The result is that the contrarian often buys a cheap security that everyone else is calling a dog and sells a security that everyone else is clamoring to get into.

Fade investors often look for stocks with low price-to-earnings ratios. When the market goes up, they sometimes prefer value stocks to growth stocks; when the market goes down, they often favor growth stocks over value stocks.

The Dogs of the Dow strategy is a popular fade strategy whereby investors purchase the highest-yielding stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Remember, a stock has to pay a relatively high dividend and have a relatively low stock price to have a high dividend yield. When any of the investor's stocks rise in price so much that they are no longer one of the ten highest dividend-yield stocks, he sells them, capturing the gain and reinvesting the proceeds in the newest "dog."

Why It Matters

Fade investors zig when everyone else zags. They have strong stomachs, a sense of independence, and an ability to resist the temptations of going with the crowd. That can mean picking up a few dogs, and that can mean sticking with a stock if it has become a dog. Fade investors are not always right, but the philosophy has attracted many happy investors over the years. Even Burton Malkiel, who developed the random walk theory, which says there is no reliable way to beat the market in the long run, acknowledges that contrarian strategies can be successful. They tend to outperform other trading strategies because market reversals are often based on economic facts rather than investor psychology.

It is important to note that fade investing often works best for investors who have thoroughly analyzed the fundamentals of the companies they invest in. Companies with solid management teams, innovative products, efficient processes and good profit margins can often weather being unpopular with the crowd.

Source: Investing Answers

FADE Defined for English Language Learners

fade

verb

Definition of fade for English Language Learners

: to lose strength or freshness : to become weaker
: to disappear gradually
: to become less bright : to lose color

fade

noun

Definition of fade for English Language Learners

: a gradual change from one picture to another in a movie or television program

FADE Defined for Kids

fade

verb \ ˈfād \

Definition of fade for Students

faded; fading

1 : to lose or cause to lose brightness of color

2 : to dry up : wither

The flowers were fading.

3 : to grow dim or faint

The path faded out.

Her memory faded.

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fade

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fade

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