Definition of faint
1 : lacking courage and spirit : cowardly faint of heart
2 : weak, dizzy, and likely to faint sick and faint from the pain — Jack London
3 : lacking strength or vigor : performed, offered, or accomplished weakly or languidly faint praise a faint smile on her lips
4 : producing a sensation of faintness : oppressive the faint atmosphere of a tropical port
5a : hardly perceptible : dim faint handwritingb : vague 2a haven't the faintest idea
faintishness
nounfaintly
adverbfaintness
nounRead the Latest from M-W
Examples of faint in a Sentence
We heard a faint noise.
the faint glow of a distant light
There was a faint smile on her lips.
There's just a faint chance that the weather will improve by tomorrow.
a faint reminder of their former greatness
I'd better lie down; I feel faint.
She felt faint from hunger.
Recent Examples of faint from the Web
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That's more than twice as high as Denver, notes USA Today, and so high that lead researcher Randy Haas says he's seen people faint after deplaning at the regional airport there.
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My pie had the faintest stripes of char on the underside.
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These arrests are a crude attempt to intimidate journalists by a military that cannot seem to abide even the faintest criticism.
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Towering panels of glass have been installed in the northwest corner, and the glass carries a faint pattern in it, meant to discourage birds from crashing into the windows.
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Cauldron of Water,’ a deep, glacial lake that lies within the wilderness of the Black Cuillin mountains (take note: many of the roads that run through the mountains are not for the faint-hearted).
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Everything from faint smirks to scene shifts is fair game for audio description.
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Everything from faint smirks to scene shifts is fair game for audio description.
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Falcone wears chunky glasses, a dark suit with faint checks and peak lapels, and an open-necked white shirt, which exposes a medallion hanging from a strap.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'faint'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of faint
Middle English faint, feint, from Anglo-French, from past participle of feindre, faindre to feign, lose heart — more at feign
faint
Definition of faint
intransitive verb
1 archaic : to lose courage or spirit
2 archaic : to become weak
3 : to lose consciousness because of a temporary decrease in the blood supply to the brain
Examples of faint in a Sentence
He always faints at the sight of blood.
She almost fainted from the pain.
She suffers from fainting spells.
Recent Examples of faint from the Web
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Co-star Tom Sturridge has gotten a broken nose, and four audience members have fainted during previews.
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A little while later Montes said Matthews appeared to start to faint when several rescue workers rushed him to a nearby ambulance.
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The crowd was so massive that two women reportedly fainted.
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Friday’s plodding pace was interrupted only once when a young woman, who had just been dismissed after citing a heart condition, fainted on her way out of the courtroom.
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It was reported by TMZ that the singer suffered from seizures after fainting onstage.
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Sherry was Velma Stockhouse, the woman who faints right before the vote to unionize.
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School officials did not tell her that her son was attacked and rendered unconscious, simply telling her that the boy had fainted, family lawyer Jennifer L. Branch told the Post.
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A few residents were injured or fainted from the scuffle and were transported to a hospital.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'faint'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of faint
see 1faint
Examples of faint in a Sentence
shocking news can cause a person to fall into a faint
Recent Examples of faint from the Web
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Evidence that fashion, much like Gaga herself, is not for the faint of heart.
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Despite the beauty of hiking in the shadows of enormous redwoods, the trail is not for the faint of heart.
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The strong of heart and the faint of heart are vulnerable.
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After arrest: Cincinnati man finds tourism in North Korea not for the faint of heart Perhaps holding up China’s ally as a human-rights abuser, a place where a young man’s life was destroyed, might change the country’s mind, Richardson said.
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The air is clean and views are stunning, but working here is not for the faint of heart as drivers maneuver large machines along narrow ribbons that feel suspended above an abyss.
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The competition is not for the faint of vocabulary.
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The Body, a Portland, Ore., duo (by way of Providence, R.I.), is not for the faint of heart.
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The new tourist attraction coming to San Francisco is billed as ‘not for the faint of heart.’ …its rats.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'faint'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of faint
see 1faint
FAINT Defined for English Language Learners
faint
playDefinition of faint for English Language Learners
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: not clearly seen, heard, tasted, felt, etc.
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: very slight or small
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: weak and dizzy
faint
Definition of faint for English Language Learners
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: to suddenly become unconscious
FAINT Defined for Kids
Definition of faint for Students
fainted
;fainting
: to suddenly lose consciousness
Definition of faint for Students
: an act or condition of suddenly losing consciousness
Medical Dictionary
faint
Medical Definition of faint
: to lose consciousness because of a temporary decrease in the blood supply to the brain
Learn More about faint
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See words that rhyme with faint Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for faint Spanish Central: Translation of faint Nglish: Translation of faint for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of faint for Arabic speakers
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