fade

SayFAYDUS · UK/feɪd//fæɪd/

Verbfades, fading, faded

Noun pluralfades

13 meanings of fade

Practice

1
verbintransitive
To slowly lose color and become lighter or paler.
Like a colorful drawing left in a sunny window until the colors go pale.
The bright red curtains fade after years in the sun.
Her jeans had faded to a soft, pale blue.
Similarbleach, pale, discolor, dull
Oppositebrighten
Note
2
verbintransitive
To slowly disappear or grow dim until gone.
Like a flashlight beam getting weaker until you can't see it.
The sound of the train faded into the distance.
Memories of that summer slowly fade with each passing year.
Similardim, wane, dwindle, diminish, evaporate
Oppositegrow, brighten, intensify, strengthen
Note
3
verbintransitive
To slowly grow weak and lose strength, like a plant that withers.
Like a plant left without water that slowly droops and dies.
The flowers in the vase began to fade after a week.
His strength faded as the illness took hold.
Similarwither, wilt, decline, wane, weaken
Oppositeflourish, thrive, bloom, revive
Note
4
verbtransitive
To make something lose its color or brightness.
Like the sun slowly washing the color out of a poster.
Years of sunlight faded the old photographs.
Strong bleach can fade dark fabric quickly.
Similarbleach, dull, discolor, lighten
Oppositebrighten
5
nouncountable
A slow drop in picture brightness or sound, used to move to a new scene or song.
Like slowly turning down the lights until the room is dark.
The director ended the scene with a slow fade to black.
Audio engineers added fades between the tracks on the album.
Note
6
nouncountable
A haircut that is short or shaved at the sides and longer on top.
He asked the barber for a tight fade before the wedding.
Short fades are popular with the players on the team.
Note
7
nouncountable
A golf shot made to curve gently to the side on purpose.
Like throwing a ball so it curves to one side on purpose.
He played a gentle fade to avoid the bunker on the left.
Good fades give players more control in the wind.
Similarcut
Oppositedraw
Note
8
verbtransitive
To hit a golf ball so it curves gently to one side on purpose.
Like spinning a ball so it curls to the side as you throw it.
He faded the ball around the tall oak.
Try to fade it gently onto the green.
Similarcut
Oppositedraw
Note
9
nounslangcountable
A fight between two people.
He challenged his rival to a fade behind the gym.
A couple of fades broke out at the party.
Similarfight, scrap, brawl, scuffle, rumble
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10
nounslangcountable
A quiet, secret exit so that nobody can find you.
He made a quiet fade before anyone noticed he was gone.
A few well-timed fades kept him out of trouble.
Similardisappearance, getaway, escape, exit
Note
11
verbtransitive
To place a bet against someone, hoping they lose.
Like guessing your friend will lose a game and betting on the other side.
Smart bettors faded the crowd's favorite team.
He decided to fade the rookie at the dice table.
Oppositeback, tail
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Less common meanings

12
adjectivearchaic
Weak and without much taste or flavor.
Like water with just a tiny drop of juice: almost no taste.
The broth was fade and needed plenty of salt.
His masculine taste gave him a sense of something fade and ludicrous.
1827, Thomas De Quincey, “The Last Days of Kant”Here, fade means weak and without flavor, dull and tasteless.
Similardull
Note
13
adjectivearchaic
Strong, bold, and not afraid to face danger.
The knight was fade and fearless, and he always rode first into battle.
The fade soldiers held the gate against all odds.
Note

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–12

It came from Old French "fade," meaning weak or witless, and possibly from Latin "fatuus," meaning insipid.

Meaning 13

This came from Middle English "fade," but its origin is not certain.