faint

adjective

\ ˈfānt

Definition of faint

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : hardly perceptible : dim faint handwriting

b : vague sense 2a haven't the faintest idea

2 : weak, dizzy, and likely to faint sick and faint from the pain— Jack London

3 : lacking courage and spirit : cowardly faint of heart

4 : lacking strength or vigor : performed, offered, or accomplished weakly or languidly faint praise a faint smile on her lips

5 : producing a sensation of faintness : oppressive the faint atmosphere of a tropical port

faint

verb

fainted; fainting; faints

Definition of faint (Entry 2 of 3)

intransitive verb

1 : to lose consciousness because of a temporary decrease in the blood supply to the brain

2 archaic : to lose courage or spirit

3 archaic : to become weak

faint

noun

Definition of faint (Entry 3 of 3)

: the physiological action of fainting also : the resulting condition : syncope sense 1

Other Words from faint Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about faint

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Other Words from faint

Adjective

faintish \ ˈfān-tish

\ adjective

faintishness noun

faintly adverb

faintness noun

Examples of faint in a Sentence

Adjective

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.

Verb

He always faints at the sight of blood. She almost fainted from the pain. She suffers from fainting spells.

Noun

shocking news can cause a person to fall into a faint

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The faint hope came on a day in which Dorian seemed to get scarier with each forecast update. — Washington Post, "Dorian becomes a Category 4 monster powering toward Florida," 31 Aug. 2019 The faint hope of dodging Dorian’s fury came Friday, even as the storm ratcheted up from a menacing Category 3 hurricane to an even more dangerous Category 4. — Ellis Rua, BostonGlobe.com, "Fierce Category 4 Dorian strengthens en route to Bahamas," 31 Aug. 2019 The telescope enabled the researchers to capture the different wavelengths of light associated with the dips in its brightness -- even though the black hole compact object is 10,000 times dimmer than the faintest stars visible to the human eye. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "Repeating outbursts of 40,000-degree wind discovered near black hole," 9 Aug. 2019 Trailing the Toronto Raptors 3-1 in the NBA Finals three years later, the Warriors need another Klay Game (or two, or three) to keep their faint hopes of a three-peat alive. — Matt Schneidman, The Mercury News, "Can Klay Thompson find that 2016 magic and keep the Warriors alive?," 7 June 2019 The memories are faint, but Stone Jr. still recalls sitting in club-level seats at the Oakland Coliseum and watching the tail end of his father’s pro career. — Theo Lawson, The Seattle Times, "Ron Stone Jr. or R.J.? He doesn’t care what you call him, but he wants to make a name for himself at Washington State," 12 Apr. 2019 Many astronomers continued to suspect that there might be some very faint stars in the outskirts of galaxies that could account for a significant chunk of the missing matter. — Quanta Magazine, "A Short History of the Missing Universe," 19 Sep. 2018 This is a perfect time to search for the Milky Way along with faint constellations and deep-sky objects. — Arnold Pearlstein, sun-sentinel.com, "The Stars This Week: Aug. 25 - 31," 25 Aug. 2019 Seismographs are very sensitive and can detect earthquakes that occur very far away (along with other things that make the ground shake, such as volcanic eruptions or large explosions) that might be too faint for humans to feel. — Ben Finio, Scientific American, "Shaky Science: Build a Seismograph," 22 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Hudspeth kept goats as pets for the next four decades, owning as many as 16 at a time in varying breeds, including pygmies and fainting goats. — Kelly Kazek | Kkazek@al.com, al, "The legendary Goat Man’s decades-long walk across Alabama," 27 Aug. 2019 During this time, Victorian women, who often fainted from wearing tight corsets, would rely on this particular style of sofa to recover. — Monique Valeris, ELLE Decor, "Everything You Need to Know About a Fainting Couch," 23 Aug. 2019 The man fainted, yet protesters refused to give access to medics. — The Economist, "Is Hong Kong moving closer to the abyss that its leaders warn about?," 17 Aug. 2019 Several commuters on Paris’ Metro system — where trains on many older lines are not air-conditioned — fainted on Wednesday, prompting the authorities to issue warnings about public transportation and advise travelers to stay hydrated. — Iliana Magra, New York Times, "Europe Suffers Heat Wave of Dangerous, Record-High Temperatures," 24 July 2019 A few months later, on June 6, a 67-year-old woman fainted on the same ride. — Gabrielle Russon, orlandosentinel.com, "Disney World, Universal visitors faint on rides, report says," 5 June 2019 It was triggered by false rumours that schoolchildren outside Peshawar had fainted, vomited or even died after taking drops. — The Economist, "Pakistan is trying new tactics to eliminate polio," 4 July 2019 Most people would likely faint at the thought of flying from Colombia, to Portland, to London, and then jumping from roof to roof while cameras roll. — oregonlive.com, "From Portland to ‘Jack Ryan’: Kendall Wells talks about working as a stunt performer in TV and film," 29 June 2019 After fainting at school from an anxiety attack, a family therapist comes over to the Klein residence dressed as Little Bo Peep (imagine being this rich). — Morgan Baila, refinery29.com, "Big Little Lies Episode 3 Recap: It's The End Of The World As They Know It," 24 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The travel schedule in the WWE is not for the faint of heart. — Justin Barrasso, SI.com, "The Week in Wrestling: Bret Hart Remembers Crowning Moment at ‘King of the Ring’," 11 Sep. 2019 The music of heavy metal band Slipknot is not for the faint of heart. — Raisa Bruner, Time, "The Unfazed Elderly Lady at the Rowdy Slipknot Concert Is Bringing Music to People's Lives," 10 Sep. 2019 This vaca is definitely not for the faint of heart! — Jasmine Grant, Essence, "Stephen and Ayesha Curry Had A Blast On Their Frosty Baecation In Iceland," 3 Sep. 2019 Bodily risks aside, Mr. Babington added, the sport is clearly not for the faint of heart. — New York Times, "Where to Show Off Your $5 Million Horse," 31 Aug. 2019 Beware: the pictures are not for the faint of heart. — Jenna West, SI.com, "Fans Were Not Ready to See Antonio Brown's Frostbitten Feet on 'Hard Knocks'," 13 Aug. 2019 At their $160,000-plus price points, the Cayenne S Turbo E-Hybrid is not for the faint of heart or thin of wallet. — Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica, "Porsche takes wraps off of 670hp Cayenne S Turbo E-Hybrid," 12 Aug. 2019 These ultra all-inclusive events are the place to be during Crop Over with plenty of drinks, wines and fun to go around, and are definitely not for the faint of heart! — Danielle Pointdujour, Essence, "Fete Is We Name! Inside The Hottest Parties At Barbados Crop Over 2019," 7 Aug. 2019 California living has never been for the faint of heart. — Los Angeles Times, "Newsletter: For the Joshua trees of Joshua Tree National Park, time may be running out," 7 Aug. 2019

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.