Definition of "fade" in English

adjective

1. (archaic) Weak; insipid; tasteless.

   • 1825, Francis Jeffrey, Lord Jeffrey, review of Theodric by Thomas Campbell Passages that are somewhat fade.

noun

1. (golf) A golf shot that curves intentionally to the player's right (if they are right-handed) or to the left (if left-handed).

2. A haircut where the hair is short or shaved on the sides of the head and longer on top. See also high-top fade and low fade.

3. (slang) A fight.

4. (music, cinematography) A gradual decrease in the brightness of a shot or the volume of sound or music (as a means of cutting to a new scene or starting a new song).

5. (slang) The act of disappearing from a place so as not to be found; covert departure.

verb

1. (transitive, golf) To hit the ball with the shot called a fade.

2. (intransitive) To grow weak; to lose strength; to decay; to perish gradually; to wither, as a plant.

3. (intransitive) To lose freshness, color, or brightness; to become faint in hue or tint; hence, to be wanting in color.

4. (intransitive) To sink away; to disappear gradually; to grow dim; to vanish.

   • The milkman's whistling faded into the distance.
   • 1856, Eleanor Marx-Aveling (translator), Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary, Part III Chapter XI, A strange thing was that Bovary, while continually thinking of Emma, was forgetting her. He grew desperate as he felt this image fading from his memory in spite of all efforts to retain it. Yet every night he dreamt of her; it was always the same dream. He drew near her, but when he was about to clasp her she fell into decay in his arms.

5. (transitive) To cause to fade.

6. (transitive, gambling) To bet against (someone).

adjective

1. (archaic) Strong; bold; doughty.