fade away
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle away
Meanings
Gradually become less visible, audible or strong
Why “away”? Something slowly becomes weaker until it is gone.
“The sound faded away.”
“The music faded away as we left.”
“The colour faded away in the sun.”
Test yourself
“The sound faded away.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
chip away
Same away pattern: fading
Gradually reduce something a little at a time
die away
Same away pattern: fading
Lose intensity until silent
drift away
Same away pattern: fading
Slip out of awareness slowly; Gradually lose contact with a person or group
eat away
Same away pattern: fading
Gradually destroy something by erosion or worry
ebb away
Same away pattern: fading
Gradually weaken or recede
explain away
Same away pattern: fading
Give reasons that make a problem seem less serious
fall away
Same away pattern: fading
Decrease in number or amount
fritter away
Same away pattern: fading
Waste time, money or opportunities little by little
Sink In — iOS & Android
Practice “fade away” in Sink In
Drill “fade away” and 1,300+ other phrasal verbs with spaced repetition, organised by the particle patterns that connect them.
- Learn the pattern behind dozens of verbs at once — not one-off translations.
- Spaced repetition (SM-2) brings each meaning back right before you forget.
- Four practice modes train recall and discrimination, not just recognition.
