fainter; faintest
1
a
: 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
Jack London3
: 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
fainted; fainting; faints
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
: the physiological action of fainting
also
: the resulting condition : syncope sense 1
Synonyms
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 WebCam Inman, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024
In this case, however, combining the two tools allowed researchers to bypass the layers of carbon to read a major portion of the scroll by detecting faint evidence of handwriting that human eyes can no longer see.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 24 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for faint 
Adjective
Lance followed Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars) and Zach Wilson (Jets) off the draft board, then after two faint seasons, the 49ers shipped him to the Dallas Cowboys last August for a fourth-round draft pick.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024
In this case, however, combining the two tools allowed researchers to bypass the layers of carbon to read a major portion of the scroll by detecting faint evidence of handwriting that human eyes can no longer see.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 24 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for faint
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'faint.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Faint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faint. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
faint
2 of 3 verb
: to lose consciousness
faint
3 of 3 noun
: an act or condition of fainting
Medical Definition
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