faded; fading
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
: to cause to fade
time has not completely faded the humor of these verses—
G. H. Genzmer
G. H. Genzmer
fader
noun
1
a
: fade-out
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
Synonyms
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 WebSonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024
There are plenty of people, across England, nursing a fading hope that Luton Town avoids relegation and sticks around for another year.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024
The oral arguments took place even as the animosity between Workers United and Starbucks has begun to fade.
—Dee-Ann Durbin The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 24 Apr. 2024
The response led to his new bill The issue began to fade from the public consciousness.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
Monday was certainly more dramatic, Murray dribbling past Davis just enough to rise and fade toward his bench, the ball ripping through the net.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024
Within two weeks, oiliness and the appearance of post-acne dark spots can start to fade; after eight weeks, pores, wrinkles, and redness become less noticeable, too.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2024
For the next hour and 16 minutes, as the moon slid across the sun, daylight eerily faded, and the temperature dropped about 10 degrees.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 21 Apr. 2024
With inflation fading, Powell began to hint near the end of last year that rate cuts were on the horizon.
—Will Daniel, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024
Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024
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
Verb
Muslim rule continued until around 1492, when a long period of fading influence culminated in Christians’ conquest of Granada.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024
There are plenty of people, across England, nursing a fading hope that Luton Town avoids relegation and sticks around for another year.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024
The oral arguments took place even as the animosity between Workers United and Starbucks has begun to fade.
—Dee-Ann Durbin The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 24 Apr. 2024
The response led to his new bill The issue began to fade from the public consciousness.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
Monday was certainly more dramatic, Murray dribbling past Davis just enough to rise and fade toward his bench, the ball ripping through the net.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024
Within two weeks, oiliness and the appearance of post-acne dark spots can start to fade; after eight weeks, pores, wrinkles, and redness become less noticeable, too.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2024
For the next hour and 16 minutes, as the moon slid across the sun, daylight eerily faded, and the temperature dropped about 10 degrees.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 21 Apr. 2024
With inflation fading, Powell began to hint near the end of last year that rate cuts were on the horizon.
—Will Daniel, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024
Noun
During its long, steady fade to irrelevance, Cardinal basketball became a haven for excuses: Players left early for the NBA Draft; players got injured; players were young; the transfer portal was problematic; NIL (name, image and likeness) was a challenge.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024
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
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.
Dictionary Entries Near fade
Cite this Entry
“Fade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fade. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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