# fade

Pronunciation: say "FAYD" US/UK /feɪd/, AUS /fæɪd/

## Verb

1. To lose freshness, color, or brightness, becoming faint in hue or tint.
   - Simple: To slowly lose color and become lighter or paler.
   - _Cheap dyes fade quickly when clothes are washed in hot water._
   - _The poster on the wall had faded almost to white._
2. To sink away gradually, growing dim or faint until vanishing.
   - Simple: To slowly disappear or grow dim until gone.
   - _Daylight faded as the storm clouds rolled in._
   - _Hopes of a rescue began to fade after the third day._
3. To grow weak and lose strength, decaying or perishing gradually, as a plant withers.
   - Simple: To slowly grow weak and lose strength, like a plant that withers.
   - _The old man's health faded steadily through the winter._
   - _Garden roses fade quickly once the first frost arrives._
4. To cause something to lose its color, brightness, or strength.
   - Simple: To make something lose its color or brightness.
   - _Repeated washing faded the team's once-vivid jerseys._
   - _Designers sometimes fade denim on purpose for a worn look._
8. To strike the ball so that it curves intentionally to the side, in the shot known as a fade.
   - Simple: To hit a golf ball so it curves gently to one side on purpose.
   - _She faded her approach to hold the firm green._
   - _Good players can fade the ball on demand._
11. To bet against someone, wagering that the person or pick will lose.
   - Simple: To place a bet against someone, hoping they lose.
   - _Sharp gamblers faded the public money on the underdog._
   - _He likes to fade tipsters who post too confidently online._

## Noun

5. A gradual decrease in the brightness of a shot or the volume of sound, used to cut to a new scene or start a new song.
   - Simple: A slow drop in picture brightness or sound, used to move to a new scene or song.
   - _Slow fades between scenes gave the documentary a dreamy feel._
   - _The song closes on a gentle fade instead of an abrupt cut._
6. A haircut in which the hair is shaved or cut very short at the sides and left longer on top, blending gradually between the two lengths.
   - Simple: A haircut that is short or shaved at the sides and longer on top.
   - _The barber gave him a sharp fade with crisp edges._
   - _Skin fades require regular trips to keep the sides clean._
7. A golf shot deliberately curved to the right for a right-handed player, or to the left for a left-hander.
   - Simple: A golf shot made to curve gently to the side on purpose.
   - _The pro shaped a delicate fade into the narrow fairway._
   - _On dogleg holes, controlled fades can shave strokes off a round._
9. A fight, especially a physical confrontation between two people. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A fight between two people.
   - _The argument nearly turned into a fade in the parking lot._
   - _Word spread fast about the fades planned for after the match._
10. The act of slipping away from a place unnoticed, so as not to be found; a covert departure. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A quiet, secret exit so that nobody can find you.
   - _His midnight fade left the crew without a leader._
   - _A series of quiet fades let the informant avoid detection._

## Adjective

12. Weak and insipid; lacking flavor or savor. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Weak and without much taste or flavor.
   - _Travelers found the inn's fade porridge barely edible._
   - _The wine struck him as fade and lifeless._
13. Strong and bold, with the stubborn courage of someone who does not back down from a fight. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Strong, bold, and not afraid to face danger.
   - _The bards sang of a fade warrior who never once turned his back on an enemy._
   - _He proved himself a fade defender on the battlefield._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–12** — This word comes through Middle English from Middle Dutch "vade" (weak, faint) and Old French "fade" (weak, witless), of obscure origin. It probably goes back to Vulgar Latin *fatidus, from Latin "fatuus" (insipid).
**Meaning 13** — This comes from Middle English "fade" or "fede," of uncertain origin. It may be compared with Old English "ġefæd" (orderly, tidy).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/fade (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).