Fade away means to gradually grow weaker and disappear completely. People say it about sound, light, feelings and memories: The music faded away. The key idea is disappearance: in the end, nothing is left of the sound or the feeling.
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something fades away; sound/hope/memories + fade away; slowly/gradually fade away
- The sound of the train faded away, and the platform went quiet.
- My fear of flying slowly faded away after a few long trips.
- By the end of the holiday, our plans to start running every morning had faded away.
What changed
First versionMy black jeans faded away after a few washes.
RevisionMy black jeans faded after a few washes.
The jeans didn't disappear; they faded, they lost their colour. For that, fade on its own is enough: My jeans faded. Away adds “vanish completely”, so with clothes the sentence sounds as if they dissolved.
Fade out means to get quieter or dimmer smoothly at the end, usually about music, sound or a picture on screen: The song fades out after the last chorus. Fade away is wider: hopes and memories fade away too.
Your turn
As the years passed, his dream of becoming a professional singer slowly ___.
Show the answer
faded away — The dream gradually died away: faded away. Passed away means “died”, a polite way to talk about death, and it doesn't fit a dream.
Describe a fear or habit that disappeared over time. Say what it was and what helped.
My fear of speaking in public faded away after I joined a small debate club at university.
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