: an act or instance of fading out
especially : a gradual decrease in a motion-picture or television image's visibility at the end of a sequence

Examples of fade-out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Is this just stage one of the slow, graceful fade-out both players desire — a farewell tour that lasts multiple years like Elton John? Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2024 And any fade-out of Boomers could shift American politics. Andre Mouchard, Orange County Register, 4 Feb. 2024 Short, choppy conversations typically result in both quicker fade-outs and volume adjustments, while audio levels revert more gradually with longer conversations or patches of speech. Joe Hindy, PCMAG, 18 Sep. 2023 Trending Now: Radiation, a mainstay of cancer treatment, begins a fade-out One legal expert emphasized that the food companies suing over a policy is generally the mark of a strong law. Nicholas Florko, STAT, 21 Aug. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fade-out was in 1917

Dictionary Entries Near fade-out

Cite this Entry

“Fade-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fade-out. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on fade-out

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!