# faint

/ˈfeɪnt/ (US) · /fˈeɪnt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/faint
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. hard to perceive

adjective · CEFR B1

not strong or clear; difficult to see, hear, or smell.

For teachers: lacking in intensity, brightness, or volume; barely perceptible to the senses.

- We could hear the faint sound of music coming from the house next door.
- The detective noticed a faint trail of muddy footprints leading away from the window, though they were nearly invisible in the dim light.

### 2. feeling weak

adjective · CEFR B2

feeling weak and dizzy, as if you are about to fall down and lose consciousness.

For teachers: feeling weak, dizzy, or exhausted to the point of imminent syncope.

- The heat in the crowded room made her feel faint and nauseous.
- After standing for three hours in the midday sun, several spectators began to feel faint and had to be moved to the shade.

### 3. to lose consciousness

verb · CEFR B1

to suddenly become unconscious for a short time, usually because of heat, pain, or a shock.

For teachers: to lose consciousness temporarily, typically due to a sudden lack of oxygen or blood flow to the brain.

- He fainted when he saw the blood on his arm.
- The witness fainted during the cross-examination, forcing the judge to call a brief recess while medical staff attended to her.

Usage: The verb is intransitive and does not take a direct object.

### 4. a loss of consciousness

noun · CEFR B2

an act of losing consciousness.

For teachers: a sudden, brief loss of consciousness; a medical episode of syncope.

- She fell to the floor in a dead faint after hearing the news.
- The doctor explained that the patient's sudden faint was likely caused by a combination of dehydration and low blood pressure.

### 5. lacking courage

adjective · CEFR C1 · Literary

lacking courage or spirit; used in the phrase 'faint-hearted'.

For teachers: lacking conviction, courage, or spirit; often used in literary contexts or fixed idioms.

- The steep mountain climb is not for the faint-hearted.
- He made a faint attempt to protest the decision, but his lack of conviction was obvious to everyone in the room.

## Examples

- I can hear a faint noise coming from the basement.
- There was a faint smell of perfume in the hallway, suggesting someone had recently walked through.
- The hikers could just make out the faint outline of the distant peaks through the thick morning mist, though the trail itself remained hidden.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.