fade

1 of 3

verb

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 versesG. H. Genzmer
fader noun

fade

2 of 3

noun

1
a
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

fade

3 of 3

adjective

Examples of fade in a Sentence

Verb 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. Noun The movie ends with a fade to black.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Rahm had to come from behind last year but quickly pulled away from a fading Koepka to ease home, while Scheffler had stood at the 18th tee with a five-shot lead at the previous tournament. Jack Bantock, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024 But after months of negotiations and sporadic assurances of progress, signs of optimism this week that an agreement was near have begun to fade. Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024 As the sun sets, the festivities only get wilder, with electrifying acts that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last note fades away. Branded Content Contributor, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024 After hitting a 40-year peak of 9.1% in June 2022, inflation steadily faded over the following year as the Fed raised interest rates, reaching a low of 3% in June 2023. Bywill Daniel, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024 The 40/40 Club may fade into the recesses of Carter’s illustrious history, a footnote in the forensic accounting of his fortune. Abe Beame, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2024 Looking back a quarter of a century after the riots, Murray said the scars of the turbulence had never fully faded. Gayle Pollard-Terry, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024 Patel’s revenge film exists between these two extremes, with contradictory optics stemming from images whose creation is well-intended, but whose meaning grows more incongruous and disconcerting as the current events of India’s thorny political climate fades into view. Siddhant Adlakha, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024 Many of those efforts fade by the end of the month, unfortunately. Emilee Coblentz, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
Noun
As concerns about covid infection fade, patients have been returning to hospitals and clinics, leading to higher costs for insurers. John Tozzi Bloomberg News (tns), arkansasonline.com, 6 Mar. 2024 The potent combination boosts color vibrancy, prevents color fade, helps repair damage and protects hair from heat damage up to 450° Fahrenheit. Celia Shatzman, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Flashback: The 2012 team sealed its Super Bowl loss once Colin Kaepernick’s three fade passes to Michael Crabtree failed to deliver a touchdown. Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2024 Styles’ hair — which was shaved into a buzz cut back in November — has since grown out a bit and is styled into a fade. Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 3 Jan. 2024 From swag surfing at the Chiefs game to media outlets attempting to credit Travis Kelce for the fade haircut, this has been an ongoing practice in America. Dr. Marcus Collins, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 Hudson caught a fade in his first practice, making a great first impression. Charlie Goldsmith, The Enquirer, 5 Jan. 2024 New workflows will be available in the Premiere Pro public beta starting today, including interactive fade handles that enable users to quickly create custom audio transitions by dragging them directly across their main editing timeline. Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 16 Jan. 2024 In a video on Bonds’ Instagram, wide receiver Sky Moore admires his fresh cut, turning to the side to show his fade. Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Noun

derivative of fade entry 1

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1918, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fade was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near fade

Cite this Entry

“Fade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fade. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

fade

1 of 2 verb
faded; fading
1
: to lose freshness or health
fading flowers
2
: to lose or cause to lose brightness of color
3
: to disappear gradually
a fading memory
4
: to change gradually in loudness or visibility
used of a motion-picture image or of an electronics signal and usually with in or out

fade

2 of 2 noun
: a gradual changing of one picture to another in a motion-picture or television sequence

More from Merriam-Webster on fade

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