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Definitions

fade out

[feyd-out] / ˈfeɪdˌaʊt /
VERB
die
Synonyms
STRONGEST
deteriorate disappear end expire fail fall pass stop vanish
STRONG
abate bate crumble decay decline degenerate dilapidate diminish droop ebb fade halt lapse moderate molder rankle recede retrograde rot sink slacken subside wane weaken wilt
WEAK
break down ease off fade away fizzle out go bad go downhill let up lose power melt away peter out run down run low run out wear away
Antonyms
STRONGEST
advance appear arrive bear begin commence reach start win
STRONG
build continue develop enhance enlarge extend flourish forge forward grow improve increase prolong rise strengthen
WEAK
be born live
VERB
go out
Synonyms
STRONGEST
die
WEAK
become dark burn out cease darken die out dim expire flicker stop shining
Antonyms
WEAK
arrive come back enter inflame
NOUN
vanishment
Synonyms
WEAK
ceasing to exist decline and fall dematerialization departure desertion disappearing act disintegration dispersal dissipation dissolution ebbing eclipse escape evanescence evaporation exit exodus fade-out fading flight going loss melting passing receding recession removal retirement wane wearing away withdrawal

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But that also marks a clear transformation in culinary programming from emphasizing the development of proficiency to encouraging consumption, and the fade-out of the shared cultural exploration Food Network once chaperoned.

From Salon • Jan. 30, 2026

There is a sense of resignation or fade-out in the script’s formation, as if the word were not worth completing, the gods having long since departed.

From Washington Post • Jan. 14, 2023

But the song doesn’t end with a fade-out.

From New York Times • Jun. 9, 2022

I’m sad to say this might have been an old-fashioned friend fade-out.

From Slate • Jun. 10, 2021

The fade-out scene, the one that had Dad actually wringing out his handkerchief, showed the old woman, shivering in a worn and inadequate hug-me-tight, limping slowly up the hill to the poor house.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey