fade-out

[feyd-out] /ˈfeɪdˌaʊt/
noun
1.
Movies, Television. a gradual decrease in the visibility of a scene.
2.
Broadcasting, Recording. a gradual decrease in the volume of sound, especially of recorded or broadcast music, dialogue, or the like, usually ending in complete inaudibility.
3.
a gradual disappearance or reduction:
the fade-out of a brilliant career.
Origin
1915-20; noun use of verb phrase fade out

fade

[feyd] /feɪd/
verb (used without object), faded, fading.
1.
to lose brightness or vividness of color.
2.
to become dim, as light, or lose brightness of illumination.
3.
to lose freshness, vigor, strength, or health:
The tulips have faded.
4.
to disappear or die gradually (often followed by away or out):
His anger faded away.
5.
Movies, Television.
  1. to appear gradually, especially by becoming lighter (usually followed by in).
  2. to disappear gradually, especially by becoming darker (usually followed by out).
6.
Broadcasting, Recording.
  1. to increase gradually in volume of sound, as in recording or broadcasting music, dialogue, etc. (usually followed by in).
  2. to decrease gradually in volume of sound (usually followed by out).
7.
Football. (of an offensive back, especially a quarterback) to move back toward one's own goal line, usually with the intent to pass, after receiving the snapback from center or a hand-off or lateral pass behind the line of scrimmage (usually followed by back):
The quarterback was tackled while fading back for a pass.
8.
(of an automotive brake) to undergo brake fade.
verb (used with object), faded, fading.
9.
to cause to fade:
Sunshine faded the drapes.
10.
(in dice throwing) to make a wager against (the caster).
11.
Movies, Television.
  1. to cause (a scene) to appear gradually (usually followed by in).
  2. to cause (a scene) to disappear gradually (usually followed by out).
12.
Broadcasting, Recording. to cause (the volume of sound) to increase or decrease gradually (usually followed by in or out).
noun
13.
an act or instance of fading.
14.
Movies, Television Informal. a fade-out.
15.
Automotive. brake fade.
Origin
1275-1325; 1915-20 for def 5; Middle English faden, derivative of fade pale, dull < Anglo-French, Old French < Vulgar Latin *fatidus, for Latin fatuus fatuous
Related forms
fadable, adjective
fadedly, adverb
fadedness, noun
prefade, verb (used with object), prefaded, prefading.
unfadable, adjective
unfaded, adjective
unfading, adjective
well-faded, adjective
Synonyms
4. See disappear.
British Dictionary definitions for fade out

fade-out

noun
1.
(films) an optical effect in which a shot slowly disappears into darkness
2.
a gradual reduction in signal strength in a radio or television broadcast
3.
a gradual and temporary loss of a received radio or television signal due to atmospheric disturbances, magnetic storms, etc
4.
a slow or gradual disappearance
verb (adverb)
5.
to decrease or cause to decrease gradually, as vision or sound in a film or broadcast

fade

/feɪd/
verb
1.
to lose or cause to lose brightness, colour, or clarity
2.
(intransitive) to lose freshness, vigour, or youth; wither
3.
(intransitive; usually foll by away or out) to vanish slowly; die out
4.
  1. to decrease the brightness or volume of (a television or radio programme or film sequence) or (of a television programme, etc) to decrease in this way
  2. to decrease the volume of (a sound) in a recording system or (of a sound) to be so reduced in volume
5.
(intransitive) (of the brakes of a vehicle) to lose power
6.
to cause (a golf ball) to move with a controlled left-to-right trajectory or (of a golf ball) to veer gradually from left to right
noun
7.
the act or an instance of fading
Derived Forms
fadable, adjective
fadedness, noun
fader, noun
Word Origin
C14: from fade (adj) dull, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin fatidus (unattested), probably blend of Latin vapidusvapid + Latin fatuusfatuous
Word Origin and History for fade out

fade

v.

early 14c., "lose brightness, grow pale," from Old French fader "become weak, wilt, wither," from adj. fade "pale, weak, insipid" (12c.), probably from Vulgar Latin *fatidus, some sort of blending of Latin fatuus "silly, tasteless" + vapidus "flat, flavorless." Related: Faded; fading. As a noun, from c.1300.

Slang definitions & phrases for fade out

fade away

verb phrase

To depart, esp gradually (1820+)


fade

noun
  1. A white person (1970s+ Black)
  2. A black person who prefers white friends, sex partners, attitudes, etc; oreo (1970s+ Black)
  3. A hairstyle with a thick upright flat top that tapers toward the ears: Will has a fresh fade (1980s+ Black teenagers)
verb
  1. To leave; depart: He faded to Chicago (1848+)
  2. To take one's bet; cover one's offered bet: When I saw I was faded, I rolled the dice (1890+ Crapshooting)
  3. To lose or cause to lose power and effectiveness: And I would try to fade the heat off me (1450+)

fade-out

noun

The end of a scene, film, etc, where the picture gradually disappears (1923+ Motion picture)


Idioms and Phrases with fade out

fade out

.
Gradually disappear or become inaudible; also, cause to disappear or become inaudible gradually. For example, He let the final chord fade out completely before he played the next movement. The antonym is fade in, “to appear gradually or become audible,” as in The images on the screen faded in until they could be seen clearly. These terms originated in the motion-picture and broadcasting industries, where they apply to images and sounds. [ c. 1915 ]
.
Also, fade away. Quietly depart, as in “Florence Scape, Fanny Scape and their mother faded away to Boulogne” (William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, 1848). [ Mid-1800s ]