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fade-out

[ feyd-out ]
/ ˈfeɪdˌaʊt /
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See synonyms for fade-out on Thesaurus.com
noun
Movies, Television. a gradual decrease in the visibility of a scene.
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.
a gradual disappearance or reduction: the fade-out of a brilliant career.
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Origin of fade-out

First recorded in 1915–20; noun use of verb phrase fade out

Words nearby fade-out

fade, fadeaway, faded, fade-in, fadeless, fade-out, fader, Fadeyev, fadge, fading, FAdm
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to fade-out

dematerialization, departure, desertion, disintegration, dispersal, dissipation, dissolution, ebbing, eclipse, escape, evanescence, evaporation, exit, exodus, fading, flight, going, loss, melting, passing

How to use fade-out in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fade-out

fade-out
noun
films an optical effect in which a shot slowly disappears into darkness
a gradual reduction in signal strength in a radio or television broadcast
a gradual and temporary loss of a received radio or television signal due to atmospheric disturbances, magnetic storms, etc
a slow or gradual disappearance
verb fade out (adverb)
to decrease or cause to decrease gradually, as vision or sound in a film or broadcast
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with fade-out

fade out
1

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]

2

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]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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