Meaning & use
fade
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To lose color, brightness, or strength slowly, becoming paler or weaker.
Grammar: No object: the colors faded.
Patterns
- fade in the sun
- fade from something
The curtains faded in the sunlight.
The light faded as evening came.
Her smile faded when she heard the news.
verbintransitive
To become less important, strong, or clear, and gradually disappear.
Grammar: Often followed by away or out: the sound faded away.
Patterns
- fade away
- fade out
- fade into something
The sound of the train faded away.
Their friendship faded over the years.
The star's career faded after the scandal.
verbtransitive
To make something lose color or strength.
Grammar: Takes an object: the sun faded the fabric.
Patterns
- fade something
Sunshine faded the old poster.
Years of washing faded the jeans.
Time has faded the details of the day.
verbtransitive or intransitivetechnical
To gradually increase or decrease the volume of sound or brightness of an image in film or audio.
Grammar: Often fade in or fade out.
Patterns
- fade in
- fade out
- fade something out
The editor faded the music out at the end.
The scene fades to black.
The song fades in slowly.
Word forms
| third person singular | fades |
|---|---|
| past tense | faded |
| past participle | faded |
| -ing form | fading |
Common combinations
- fade away
- The pain began to fade away.
- fade out
- The music fades out slowly.
- fade to black
- The film ends as the screen fades to black.
- fade from memory
- Her face has faded from memory.
- fade in the sun
- Red fabric fades in the sun.
- fade into the background
- He faded into the background at parties.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dim
- Dim describes light getting weaker, while fade also covers color, sound, and memory.
- wither
- Wither is used for plants and suggests drying up.
- vanish
- Vanish means disappear suddenly, while fade means gradually.
- decline
- Decline is a formal word for a drop in strength or quality.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: fade or fate?
fade vs fate
Fate is a destiny or outcome. Fade is a gradual loss of color or strength.
Practice
The photograph began to ___ after years on the sunny wall.
Choose one answer.
Fade means lose color slowly. Fate, feed, and fake have different meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fade”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.