faint

adjective

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\ 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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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 Ohio State's drama, for one, gives the SEC a (faint) shot at sneaking two teams in the CFP for the second time. — Tyler J. Davis, Detroit Free Press, "Winners and losers from Michigan football's postponement vs. Ohio State," 8 Dec. 2020 Of course buying a property in the pandemic isn’t for the faint-hearted. — Suvashree Ghosh, Bloomberg.com, "Pandemic Home-Buying Boom Marks Turnaround for One of Asia's Priciest Cities," 7 Dec. 2020 But with each passing day, the trails grew more faint. — New York Times, "She Stalked Her Daughter’s Killers Across Mexico, One by One," 6 Dec. 2020 The faint smile lines around her mouth were well earned. — Ew Staff, EW.com, "First look: Realm Breaker is your next YA fantasy obsession," 1 Dec. 2020 The offense, again, had done its part to keep Minnesota's faint playoff hopes alive. — Brian Hall, Star Tribune, "Vikings' timely defensive stops keep playoff hopes alive," 30 Nov. 2020 Yes, O'Hara even replayed the faint the second time around, as true comic geniuses do. — Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, "'Kevin!': Catherine O'Hara's 'Home Alone 2' cry goes TikTok viral; 'Schitt's Creek' star's past revealed," 2 Dec. 2020 When Amazon Prime Day landed last summer, a rhinestone face mask wasn't even the faint shadow of a mark on our virtual deal-hunting list. — Mary Frances Knapp, refinery29.com, "A Bunch Of Prime Day Deals On Fashion Face Masks, Found," 14 Oct. 2020 This season, from a medical standpoint anyway, has a faint whiff of the way 2018 started. — Eric Branch, SFChronicle.com, "Banged-up 49ers: Mostert, Coleman ailing and torn ACL ends Bosa’s season," 21 Sep. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Kemebradikumo Pondei, the acting managing director of NDDC last month appeared to faint while taking questions from Nigeria's lawmakers on how the agency spent around $100 million in the past few months. — Orji Sunday, CNN, "They landed scholarships abroad. Now they are stranded as their government fails to pay the money.," 18 Aug. 2020 The records show Giuffre had complained of irregular vaginal bleeding for three weeks; had fainted two days prior, falling and hitting her head; and had lost seven pounds in the past month. — Erica Orden, CNN, "Unsealed documents show allegations against Jeffrey Epstein and his inner circle," 10 Aug. 2019 The people on the inside could not breathe and many of us fainted. — Camilo Montoya-galvez, CBS News, "Immigrants in ICE custody clash with Massachusetts jail officials in latest disturbance over coronavirus," 2 May 2020 On Monday night, Georgia’s Fulton County Schools, one of the state’s biggest districts at more than 93,000 students, had abruptly closed its schools after a teacher fainted and tested positive at a local hospital. — Margaret Newkirk, Bloomberg.com, "Underfunded and Underinformed, Health Agencies Flounder," 29 Apr. 2020 Fortunately, a neighbor saw Solis getting into her car, retrieved her daughter and brought the child to the hospital, just as Solis arrived, asked the first stranger to help her and fainted behind the wheel. — Jancee Dunn, New York Times, "In a Medical Emergency, a Family Plan Pays Off," 17 Apr. 2020 Abushariah is still in jail and fainted in court Wednesday due to diabetes, Carlson said in an update Wednesday night. — Emma Colton, Washington Examiner, "'Very sad for America': Store owner outraged employee held without bail for allegedly shooting at intruders," 2 Apr. 2020 The Good Doctor fans were left on the edge of their seats last week after Dr. Neil Melendez fainted in the final minute of the episode. — Tierney Mcafee, Country Living, "'The Good Doctor' Killed Off A Beloved Character and Fans are Devastated," 31 Mar. 2020 Though the emergency procedure was a success, Melendez threw up and fainted in front of Dr. Claire Browne only seconds before the hit ABC show ended. — Selena Barrientos, Good Housekeeping, "'Good Doctor' Fans Are "Done" With the Show If Dr. Melendez Doesn't Make It Through the Finale," 30 Mar. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Just like New York itself, Brooklyn Baby and NYC Jungle are loud, timeless, and not for the faint of heart. — Nicola Dall'asen, Allure, "Zoë Kravitz and YSL Beauté Created 8 Perfect Red Lipsticks Together," 6 Jan. 2021 Winter fishing is not for the faint of heart or the cold of feet. — John Perritano, Popular Mechanics, "How To Get Started in Ice Fishing," 22 Dec. 2020 The icy ride, a Greater Cleveland rite of passage since 1967, is not for the faint of heart. — Chris M. Worrell, cleveland, "Thrill seekers flock to Ohio’s only public toboggan chutes, at Cleveland Metroparks’ Chalet," 14 Dec. 2020 Perhaps the odd goings-on in the house didn't surprise the family after that first manifestation, but there were plenty of incidents that would have spooked the faint of heart. — R. Stephanie Bruno, NOLA.com, "In a real-life ghost story, Uptown homeowner says she shares her 1895 Queen Anne with spirits," 29 Oct. 2020 Shadows Die Twice for $25 ($35 off): From Software's games are not often for the faint of heart, and Sekiro is more punishing than most. — Jess Grey, Wired, "The Best Cyber Monday Video Game and Accessory Deals," 29 Nov. 2020 This was my first feature film, and to do that opposite one of our greatest living actors is not for the faint of heart. — Anne Cohen, refinery29.com, "Run’s Kiera Allen Is An Action Star Like You’ve Never Seen Before," 20 Nov. 2020 The last 20 minutes of The First Academy’s Class 3A region quarterfinal football game against Fort Pierce John Carroll were not for the faint of heart. — Steve Gorches, orlandosentinel.com, "TFA fights back, but loses football heartbreaker to John Carroll," 13 Nov. 2020 Buying a home in San Diego is not for the faint of heart. — Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Trying to buy a home in San Diego? Experts say to do these things first," 6 Nov. 2020

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.

History and Etymology for faint

Adjective

Middle English feint, faynt "deceiving, false, lacking in spirit or courage, listless, wearied, feeble, pale," borrowed from Anglo-French, "deceiving, false, lacking in spirit, weak," from present participle of feindre, faindre "to make, fabricate, pretend, dissemble, lose heart, fade" — more at feign

Verb

Middle English feinten, faynten "to pretend, lack spirit, become enfeebled, grow weak, fade," verbal derivative of feint, faynt "deceiving, lacking in spirit, wearied" — more at faint entry 1

Noun

noun derivative of faint entry 2

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