faint

faint¹ [feınt] adj

[Date: 1200-1300; : Old French; Origin: faindre, feindre 'to pretend'; FEIGN]

1.) difficult to see, hear, smell etc

▪ She gave a faint smile.

▪ a very faint noise

▪ the faint light of dawn

2.) a faint hope/possibility/chance etc

a very small or slight hope etc

▪ There's still a faint hope that they might be alive.

3.) not have the faintest idea

to not know anything at all about something

▪ I don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about.

4.) feeling weak and as if you are about to become unconscious because you are very ill, tired, or hungry

▪ The heat made him feel quite faint .

faint with

▪ I was faint with hunger.

>faintly adv

▪ Everyone looked faintly surprised.

▪ The sun shone faintly through the clouds.

>faintness n [U]

→damn sb/sth with faint praise at ↑damn⁴ (6)

faint ²

faint² v

1.) to suddenly become unconscious for a short time

= ↑pass out

▪ Several fans fainted in the blazing heat.

2.) I nearly/almost fainted

[i]spoken used to say that you were very surprised by something

▪ I nearly fainted when they told me the price.

faint ³

faint³ n [singular]

an act of becoming unconscious

in a (dead) faint

▪ She fell down in a faint.