Definition

1. Verb:

   • To lose brightness, vividness, or strength gradually: To become less distinct, intense, or fresh over time.
   • To disappear slowly or become less noticeable: To diminish gradually until it vanishes or is hard to perceive.
   • (In sports, especially golf) To cause a ball to curve slightly in a controlled manner: For a right-handed golfer, a fade is a shot that curves gently to the right.

2. Noun:

   • The act or process of fading: A gradual loss of visibility, intensity, or freshness.
   • (In golf) A shot that curves slightly from left to right (for a right-handed player): A controlled, gentle curve in the ball's flight path.

Usage Examples

• Verb:

  • The colors of the old photograph have faded over the decades.
  • As the sun set, the light faded from the sky.
  • Her voice faded to a whisper as she finished the story.
  • He learned to fade the golf ball around the tree.

• Noun:

  • The fade of the music at the end of the song was very smooth.
  • His favorite shot in golf is a gentle fade.

Advanced Usage

• "to fade away": to disappear or become weaker very gradually.

  • The sound of the train faded away into the distance.

• "to fade in/out": (in film, television, or audio) to appear or disappear gradually.

  • The scene fades in from a black screen.
  • The credits fade out at the end of the movie.

• "to fade into the background": to become inconspicuous or unnoticed.

  • He was shy and preferred to fade into the background at parties.

Variants and Related Words

• Faded (adj): having lost brightness or color.

  • He wore a pair of faded blue jeans.

• Fading (adj/n): in the process of losing strength or visibility.

  • We watched the fading light of dusk.

Synonyms

• Diminish: to become or make less.
• Dwindle: to become gradually less.
• Wane: to decrease in vigor, power, or extent.
• Disappear: to cease to be visible.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Fade out: to disappear gradually; to reduce sound or image intensity to zero.

  • The radio station faded out the song before the news.

• Fade in: to appear gradually; to increase sound or image intensity from zero.

  • The movie fades in on a quiet street.

Related Idioms

• Do a fade/fade out: (informal) to leave quietly or unobtrusively.

  • After the meeting, he just did a fade without saying goodbye.

• Fade into obscurity: to become forgotten or unknown over time.

  • Many pop stars from that era have faded into obscurity.

Noun

1. gradually ceasing to be visible
2. a golf shot that curves to the right for a right-handed golfer
   • he took lessons to cure his slicing

Verb

1. become feeble
   • The prisoner has be languishing for years in the dungeon
2. disappear gradually
   • The pain eventually passed off
3. lose freshness, vigor, or vitality
   • Her bloom was fading
4. become less clearly visible or distinguishable; disappear gradually or seemingly
   • The scene begins to fade
   • The tree trunks are melting into the forest at dusk