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Definition of fade-in
fade-in
Plural:fade-ins
• noun
1
A gradual increase in the visibility of a visual image or the volume of an audio signal in film, television, or sound production, typically used at the beginning of a scene or track.
Example
"The director opened the documentary with a slow fade-in from a black screen to a bustling city street."
Antonyms
View all antonyms for fade-inWord Nuance & Usage
The hyphenated form "fade-in" functions as a noun or attributive modifier (e.g., "a slow fade-in"), whereas the open two-word form "fade in" is a phrasal verb (e.g., "the music will fade in").
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Fade-in. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/fade--in