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
The hope for Democratic strategists is that voters’ negative feelings about the economy result mostly from a time lag — and that memories of the rapid inflation of 2022 and early 2023 will soon fade. David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024 Families who inherited the fading practice of tapping sugar from mangrove palms have found new champions in environmental advocates. Rebecca Tan, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024 In addition to exfoliating dry skin, this mitten helps buff away faded self-tanner. Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024 But the program faded, then went dormant for more than three decades before Peter-Rolf Ohnstad put together a committee to revive the league. John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024 The concept of shareholder primacy started to take hold in the 1970s, per Tamir, who added that while companies started to prioritize this group, safeguards for workers were fading as union membership ebbed. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024 However, that has since faded, and inflation has soared, prompting customers to spend less on non-essential items. Jordan Valinsky, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 Some nostalgic aspects of the cityscape, like bilingual street signs, fade away over time, and new fixtures, like outdoor dining huts, pop up with seemingly no precedent. Anna Kodé, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 The Mended Murals initiative was conceived to illustrate that without proper care or resources, murals that were once vibrant reflections of culture and people in communities can fade over time. Ruhama Wolle, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2024
Noun
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 Regan — who has been Kelce's go-to barber for six years — also revealed that the NFL star's girlfriend, Taylor Swift, is a fan of his fade. Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 6 Feb. 2024 David Jones had 32 points and 11 rebounds for Memphis (15-4, 4-2), and his block on James' mid-range fade as the shot clock expired gave the Tigers the ball, down by two, with 14 seconds left. Brett Martel, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2024 Booker responded with a 3 and went on to hit nine of his first 11 shots on a mix of pull-ups, turnarounds, fades, floaters and three 3s to reach 25 points before the first quarter ended. Brett Martel, USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2024 Sonoma occasionally looks more graceful than Ventura and earlier macOS versions, most notably in the fades into and out of screensavers and the lock screen, but Control Center controls and notifications and widgets all look and feel mostly static. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 26 Sep. 2023 There are eight lighting modes (combination, sequential, in waves, slow glow, chasing/flash, slow fade, twinkle, and steady on) that turn the tree into a fantastical light display. Gabriela Izquierdo, Southern Living, 15 Nov. 2023 So, all the Miami Dolphins did Saturday night was finish their Meltdown On Ice and complete their slow fade over the past few weeks of another disappointing season with a 26-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the opening round of the playoffs. Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 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 28 Mar. 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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