Basic+ Word of the Day: fade

fade (verb) past tense: faded

Faded jeans

Fade means ‘to (cause to) lose brightness of color.’

• Tom's red shirt faded after several washings.
• The sun faded the bright curtains.
• When Alexis saw her ex-husband with another woman, the color faded from her face.

Fade also means ‘to become dim or less bright.’

• The sunlight faded in the late afternoon.

Common uses

fade away: to slowly disappear or lose importance. Example: “If you meditate every morning, soon your tension will fade away.”

Did you know?

Fade in and fade out of a movie image mean that the image gradually appears or disappears, usually between scenes. When is the last time you noticed that technique?

In pop culture

Listen to Oasis sing “Fade In-Out.” Did you ever feel like a movie image that fades in and out?

There are other meanings of fade.