fade to black

English

Etymology

From the movie industry, where it was customary to end a scene or session of filming by closing off light to the camera, sometimes for dramatic effect, but often as a practical measure.

Verb

fade to black (third-person singular simple present fades to black, present participle fading to black, simple past and past participle faded to black)

1. (film) To end a film or a scene of a film by causing the image to be gradually dimmed into black.
   • 1976, Walter Becker, Donald Fagen (lyrics and music), “Haitian Divorce”, in The Royal Scam, performed by Steely Dan:

     They danced the famous Merengue / Now we dolly back / Now we fade to black

   • 2023, “Let the Sun Come In”, in Relentless, performed by The Pretenders:

     We don't have to fade to black / Let the sun come in

Noun

fade to black (plural fades to black)

1. (film) An ending of this kind.

See also

• fade to white