Fade
/feɪd/
Definitions
3 meaningsTo gradually become less bright or strong.
/feɪd/
To gradually lose color, brightness, or intensity.
The memories of her childhood began to fade as she grew older.
💡 Simply: Imagine your favorite shirt, the one with the awesome design. If you wash it too much, the colors might start to disappear, right? That's fading! It's like things slowly getting less strong or colorful.
👶 For kids: To slowly go away or become weaker.
More Examples
The music faded out at the end of the song.
The old photograph had faded significantly over time.
How It's Used
"The sunlight caused the paint on the house to fade."
"The photographer used a fade effect to transition between scenes."
To disappear or vanish gradually.
/feɪd/
To disappear gradually.
Her smile slowly faded as she heard the bad news.
💡 Simply: Like when a noise gets quieter and quieter until you can't hear it anymore, or when a person slowly moves out of sight and is gone. That's fading!
👶 For kids: To go away slowly.
More Examples
The aroma of the freshly baked bread began to fade.
The opportunity to join the team faded after the deadline passed.
How It's Used
"The sound of the train faded in the distance."
"As the sun set, the light faded."
A gradual change or decrease, especially in color or sound.
/feɪd/
A gradual reduction in the strength or intensity.
The photographer used a fade to transition between the two images.
💡 Simply: When you see the colors in a movie slowly change, or when the music gets quieter and quieter at the end of a song, that's called a 'fade.' It's like a smooth transition or a gradual ending.
👶 For kids: When something slowly changes or gets quieter or disappears.
More Examples
The song's fade brought the concert to an end.
The artist implemented a fade to soften the colors in the painting.
How It's Used
"The film used a subtle fade between the shots."
"The song ended with a fade."
Synonyms
Idioms & expressions
fade away
To disappear gradually; to vanish.
"His concerns about the project gradually faded away as he saw the progress."
fade in
To gradually appear or become visible.
"The image on the screen began to fade in, revealing the scene."
fade out
To gradually disappear or become less intense.
"The music began to fade out at the end of the song."
From Old English *fadian* 'to fit together, arrange,' later evolving to mean 'to lose brightness or color'.
Used in literature and art to describe the passage of time, loss of beauty, or gradual disappearance since the 16th century.