Library / English Dictionary

FADE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Gradually ceasing to be visible

Synonyms:

disappearance; fade

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("fade" is a kind of...):

conclusion; ending; termination (the act of ending something)

Derivation:

fade (become less clearly visible or distinguishable; disappear gradually or seemingly)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A golf shot that curves to the right for a right-handed golfer

Example:

he took lessons to cure his slicing

Synonyms:

fade; slice; slicing

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("fade" is a kind of...):

golf shot; golf stroke; swing (the act of swinging a golf club at a golf ball and (usually) hitting it)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Become feeble

Example:

The prisoner has been languishing for years in the dungeon

Synonyms:

fade; languish

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "fade" is one way to...):

degenerate; deteriorate; devolve; drop (grow worse)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

fading (weakening in force or intensity)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Become less clearly visible or distinguishable; disappear gradually or seemingly

Example:

The tree trunks are melting into the forest at dusk

Synonyms:

fade; melt

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "fade" is one way to...):

weaken (become weaker)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

fade (gradually ceasing to be visible)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Disappear gradually

Example:

The pain eventually passed off

Synonyms:

blow over; evanesce; fade; fleet; pass; pass off

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "fade" is one way to...):

disappear; go away; vanish (get lost, as without warning or explanation)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Sense 4

Meaning:

Lose freshness, vigor, or vitality

Example:

Her bloom was fading

Synonyms:

fade; wither

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "fade" is one way to...):

disappear; go away; vanish (get lost, as without warning or explanation)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Derivation:

fading (weakening in force or intensity)

Credits

 Context examples: 

All the life that was in him was fading, fainting, making toward death.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Most disks of this kind fade away in less than 30 million years.

(A Potential New Hunting Ground for Exoplanets, NASA)

It was gingham, with checks of white and blue; and although the blue was somewhat faded with many washings, it was still a pretty frock.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

Like other ichthyosaurs, this sea monster faded into extinction 95 million years ago, about 30 million years before the dinosaurs disappeared.

(Sea Monster Swam Oceans 170 Million Years Ago, Voanews)

Over three days, the Cow produced a sudden explosion of light at least 10 times brighter than a typical supernova, and then it faded over the next few months.

(Mysterious Blast Studied with NASA Telescopes, NASA)

I could not bear to see the smile fade even for a moment from his face.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

When the most massive stars explode as supernovas, they don't fade into the night, but sometimes glow ferociously with high-energy gamma rays.

(Pulse of a Dead Star Powers Intense Gamma Rays, NASA)

It was twenty minutes, and the reds had all faded into greys before Holmes and the trainer reappeared.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Renewed hope followed renewed effort: it shone like the former for some weeks, then, like it, it faded, flickered: not a line, not a word reached me.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Within was a large room with faded red curtains, a sanded floor, and walls which were covered with prints of pugilists and race-horses.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)