fade

verb \ ˈfād \

|Updated on: 15 Aug 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

Except unlike Laura Dern, who kind of faded from Hollywood for several years before reappearing in 2011's highly underrated HBO series Enlightened, Russell never really went anywhere.

— refinery29.com, "This Is Keri Russell's Time To Shine — Welcome To The Russell-ution, Comrades," 13 July 2018
But for every example of democracy fading out or finding itself under attack, there are counterexamples of democracy and democratic activists moving forward and finding solutions.

— james stavridis, Time, "Democracy Isn't Perfect, But It Will Still Prevail," 12 July 2018
Since his election to the Senate in 2000, Nelson has grappled with the twin forces of slow-moving federal support and fading enthusiasm from the Florida Legislature.

— david smiley and mary ellen klas, miamiherald, "Florida’s politicians use slimy algae to muddy each other," 11 July 2018
Yet while Hazard -- Belgium's captain -- faded after a strong opening 30 minutes, Mbappe was a constant threat.

— samuel chamberlain, Fox News, "France edges Belgium to reach World Cup final," 11 July 2018
The new body of research comes as the personal memory of the Nazi genocide fades with the deaths of the last remaining survivors.

— emanuella grinberg, Smithsonian, "When a Bavarian Monastery Provided a Home to Jewish Refugees," 11 July 2018
The inserts are periodically shipped off for deep cleans, and are discarded when the fabric is soiled, worn or faded, Sotero said.

— laura j. nelson, latimes.com, "Goodbye, upholstery. Hello, vinyl: L.A. Metro is phasing out some of its infamous fabric seats," 10 July 2018
This apprehension has since faded: López’s program is now widely embraced in the climbing community, and many pros have used her approach in their training.

— ula chrobak, Outside Online, "Climber Eva López Has a PhD in Finger Strength," 9 July 2018
The challenge will be to keep the momentum rolling when the hoopla around the announcements fades.

— kenneth r. gosselin, courant.com, "Arrival of Infosys and Seven Stars Raises Hopes For Financial Tech Future Of Hartford Region," 8 July 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

As a kid trying to get a fashionable high-top fade in the 1990s, Capriece Batchelor felt defeated.

— leilani marie labong, SFChronicle.com, "At the Culture of Hair salon, the mission is top of mind — and head," 5 July 2018
Quarterback Nate Sudfeld hit Joshua Perkins on a corner fade for a score.

— jeff mclane, Philly.com, "Eagles practice observations: Carson Wentz's arm strength; Philly Special redux; quarterback golf," 14 June 2018
Relatedly, John Cena now prefers his haircut high and tight, skin fade with a six guard up top.

— chris gayomali, GQ, "Suiting Up with John Cena," 12 June 2018
Rain should taper to showers tomorrow and fade later in the day to allow temperatures to warm up a bit better before sunset.

— matt rogers, Washington Post, "D.C.-area forecast: Cool and rainy through tomorrow afternoon, sun returns by Thursday," 24 Apr. 2018
The film finally gains its footing toward the end only to slip again at the fade out.

— gary goldstein, latimes.com, "'Aardvark' is a sluggish, uncertain family drama," 12 Apr. 2018
By now, her husband Philip (Matthew Rhys) has quit the game, having been pushed to his limit by cases that carried with them both an escalating body count and a futile sense of trying to outrun the facts of Russia’s slow fade.

— daniel d'addario, Time, "The Americans Becomes a Modern Russian Tragedy in Its Final Season," 28 Mar. 2018
Throughout the process, stylists paid attention to the consistency of the dye and its fade.

— devon abelman, Allure, "How Instagram Sparked the Indie Hair-Color Brand Revolution," 27 June 2018
While many have complained about the oversaturation of the futuristic, pea-size sunglasses and have speculated about their fade from the runways, the shades don’t seem to be going anywhere.

— liana satenstein, Vogue, "Angelina Jolie Makes Her Instagram Debut—In Tiny On-Trend Sunglasses, No Less," 29 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