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Meaning & use

faint

adjective, verb, noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/feɪnt/
US/feɪnt/

Meanings

  1. adjectivecomparable

    Slight and hard to notice, hear, see or smell.

    Grammar: Before a noun or after a verb.

    Patterns

    • a faint sound
    • faint hope

    There was a faint smell of smoke.

    I heard a faint knock.

    A faint light glowed.

  2. adjectiveafter a verb

    Feeling weak and dizzy as if about to lose consciousness.

    Grammar: After feel: feel faint.

    Patterns

    • feel faint

    I felt faint in the heat.

    She went faint from hunger.

  3. verbintransitive

    To suddenly lose consciousness for a short time.

    Grammar: No object.

    Patterns

    • faint from something

    He fainted at the sight of blood.

    Two people fainted in the crowd.

  4. nounsingular

    A sudden brief loss of consciousness.

    Grammar: In a faint.

    Patterns

    • fall in a faint

    She fell down in a dead faint.

Word forms

comparativefainter
superlativefaintest
third person singularfaints
past tensefainted
-ing formfainting

Common combinations

faint smell
A faint smell.
faint hope
A faint hope remained.
feel faint
I feel faint.
faint with hunger
Faint with hunger.
faint praise
Damn with faint praise.

Synonyms and how they differ

dim
Mostly for light.
slight
Small in degree.
dizzy
Spinning feeling.
pass out
Informal verb equivalent.

Opposites

strongclear

Word family

faintly adverb
slightly
faintness noun
dizziness or weakness

Commonly confused: faint or feint?

faint vs feint

A feint is a fake move in fighting or sports.

Practice

I could only hear a ___ whisper through the wall.

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