fainter; faintest
1
a
: hardly perceptible : dim
faint handwriting
b
: vague sense 2a
haven't the faintest idea
2
: weak, dizzy, and likely to faint
sick and faint from the pain—
Jack London
Jack London3
: lacking courage and spirit : cowardly
faint of heart
4
: lacking strength or vigor : performed, offered, or accomplished weakly or languidly
faint praise
a faint smile on her lips
5
: producing a sensation of faintness : oppressive
the faint atmosphere of a tropical port
fainted; fainting; faints
1
: to lose consciousness because of a temporary decrease in the blood supply to the brain
2
archaic
: to lose courage or spirit
3
archaic
: to become weak
: the physiological action of fainting
also
: the resulting condition : syncope sense 1
Synonyms
Examples of faint in a Sentence
Adjective
We heard a faint noise.
the faint glow of a distant light
There was a faint smile on her lips.
There's just a faint chance that the weather will improve by tomorrow.
a faint reminder of their former greatness
I'd better lie down; I feel faint.
She felt faint from hunger.
Verb
He always faints at the sight of blood.
She almost fainted from the pain.
She suffers from fainting spells.
Noun
shocking news can cause a person to fall into a faint
Recent Examples on the Web
Victoria Corless, Space.com, 6 Jan. 2025
The early fixtures are pretty low-key, although there is the faint whiff of a prospective upset with League One Peterborough against increasingly beleaguered Everton.
—Nick Miller, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
Madeleine Wattenbarger, Eliana Gilet, & Axel Hernández, The Dial, 17 Dec. 2024
Recently, however, the film drew criticism over a scene featuring Brad Pitt fainting on the Las Vegas Grand Prix track during filming earlier this month.
—Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
Then add in the fact that goalkeepers are under minute VAR scrutiny over moving off their line, while takers are allowed to get away all kinds of stops, starts and faints in their run up.
—Michael Cox, The Athletic, 15 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for faint 
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Adjective
These include detailed observations of the super-heated plasma that fills the space between galaxies — known as the intracluster medium — and faint light emitted by a nearby supernova remnant.
—Victoria Corless, Space.com, 6 Jan. 2025
The early fixtures are pretty low-key, although there is the faint whiff of a prospective upset with League One Peterborough against increasingly beleaguered Everton.
—Nick Miller, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
Verb
Another neighbor, also bloodied from a beating, fainted.
—Madeleine Wattenbarger, Eliana Gilet, & Axel Hernández, The Dial, 17 Dec. 2024
Recently, however, the film drew criticism over a scene featuring Brad Pitt fainting on the Las Vegas Grand Prix track during filming earlier this month.
—Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
And no one in these countries faints from such statements, does not remember the law and international law, humanity and human rights.
—Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
Then add in the fact that goalkeepers are under minute VAR scrutiny over moving off their line, while takers are allowed to get away all kinds of stops, starts and faints in their run up.
—Michael Cox, The Athletic, 15 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for faint
Articles Related to faint
Dictionary Entries Near faint
Cite this Entry
“Faint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faint. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
faint
2 of 3 verb
: to lose consciousness
faint
3 of 3 noun
: an act or condition of fainting
Medical Definition
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