To fade means to gradually lose brightness, strength, or clarity. Colors fade when they're exposed to sunlight for a long time: a bright red shirt left hanging in a sunny window might fade to pale pink. Old photographs fade, their vivid colors becoming pale and washed out. Paint on a house fades over years of weather and sun.

The word also describes sounds becoming quieter and more distant. At the end of a song, the music might fade out, growing softer and softer until you can barely hear it. When you walk away from someone calling your name, their voice fades as you get farther away.

Fade can describe anything that diminishes gradually. A memory might fade over time until you can barely recall it. Excitement about a new video game might fade after you've played it for months. When a bruise fades, the dark purple gradually lightens to yellow and then disappears. The key idea is that fading happens slowly and steadily, not all at once. A light in your house simply turns off when you flip the switch. But when the sun sets, daylight fades into darkness, slowly and beautifully, one moment blending into the next.