faint

 
Pronunciation: /feɪnt/

adjective

  • 1(of a sight, smell, or sound) barely perceptible: the faint murmur of voices
  • (of a hope or chance) possible but unlikely; slight: there is a faint chance that the enemy may flee
  • lacking conviction or enthusiasm; feeble: she sent him a faint answering smile
  • 2 [predic.] feeling weak and dizzy and close to losing consciousness: the heat made him feel faint

verb

[no object]
  • lose consciousness for a short time because of a temporarily insufficient supply of oxygen to the brain: I fainted from loss of blood
  • archaic grow weak or feeble; decline: the fires were fainting there

noun

[in singular]
  • a sudden loss of consciousness: she hit the floor in a dead faint

Phrases

not have the faintest

informal have no idea: I haven’t the faintest what it means

Derivatives

faintness

noun

Origin:

Middle English (in the sense 'feigned', also 'feeble, cowardly', surviving in faint heart): from Old French faint, past participle of faindre (see feign). Compare with feint1

Do not confuse faint with feint. Faint means 'only just able to be seen, heard, or smelled' ( the faint murmur of voices) or 'lose consciousness', while feint means 'a mock attack' or 'make a deceptive movement' ( I feinted to the right, then moved to the left).