1. To lose brightness, loudness, or brilliance gradually; dim: The lights and music faded as we set sail from the harbor.
2. To lose freshness; wither: summer flowers that had faded.
3. To lose strength or vitality; wane: youthful energy that had faded over the years.
4. To disappear gradually; vanish: a hope that faded. See synonyms at disappear.
5. Sports. To swerve from a straight course, especially in the direction of a slice.
6. Football. To move back from the line of scrimmage. Used of a quarterback.

1. To cause to lose brightness, freshness, or strength: Exposure to sunlight has faded the carpet.
2. Sports. To hit (a golf ball, for instance) with a moderate, usually controlled slice.
3. Games. To meet the bet of (an opposing player) in dice.

1. A gradual diminution or increase in the brightness or visibility of an image in cinema or television.
2. A periodic reduction in the received strength of a radio transmission.
3. Sports. A moderate, usually controlled slice, as in golf.

fade in

1. To appear gradually.
2. To cause to appear or be heard gradually. Used of a cinematic or television image or of a sound.

1. To disappear gradually.
2. To cause to disappear gradually. Used of a cinematic or television image or of a sound.

[Middle English faden, from Old French fader, from fade, faded, probably from Vulgar Latin *fatidus, alteration of Latin fatuus, insipid.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.