faint definition - Dictionary

MSN homeMailMy MSN

encartagreeting cards

encarta®

Dictionary

Thesaurus

Translations

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

	fair exchange

	fair game

	fair go

	fair green

	fair-haired

	fair-haired boy

	Fair Isle (1)

	Fair Isle (2)

	Fair Lawn

	fair-market value

	fair-minded

	Fair Oaks

	fair off

	fair play

	fair sex

	fair shake

	fair-skinned

Also available:

World English Dictionary
Dictionnaire Français

faint

faint [ faynt ]

adjective (comparative faint·er, superlative faint·est)

Definition:

1. dim: not bright, clear, or loud

2. unenthusiastic: done feebly and without conviction

damned the new book with faint praise

3. dizzy: dizzy or weak, as if about to become unconscious

All of a sudden he felt faint.

4. slight: remote or slight

a faint chance

intransitive verb (past and past participle faint·ed, present participle faint·ing, 3rd person present singular faints)

Definition:

1. lose consciousness briefly: to become unconscious, especially for a short time, because of a reduction in the flow of blood to the brain

2. weaken: to become weak or lose courage ( archaic )

noun (plural faints)

Definition:

sudden loss of consciousness: a sudden, usually brief, loss of consciousness, caused by a reduction in the flow of blood to the brain.
Technical name syncope (sense 1)

[13th century. < Old French< faindre "pretend, shirk"]

faint·er noun

faint·ly adverb

faint·ness noun

Spelling Note


	faint or feint? Do not confuse the spelling of faint and feint, which sound similar. Faint, the more frequent of the two words, can be used as an adjective meaning "dizzy," "weak," or "slight" (as in to feel faint, a faint smell, a faint chance), or as a noun or verb referring to a sudden loss of consciousness. Feint is a noun or verb referring to a deceptive action in sport or combat.