passive voice

noun

grammar

: the voice (see voice entry 1 sense 5) of a verb, verb phrase, or sentence in which the person or thing represented by the grammatical subject is acted on or affected by the action represented by the verb

The sentence "The ball was kicked by her" is in passive voice because the subject (the ball) is affected by the kicking.

When it's unclear who is performing the action, we need to use the passive voice: "The heat had been turned up to an unbearable degree."

—Holly Kirkwood

compare active voice

Examples of passive voice in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Even as strong as the UNEP report is, the language of who does mitigation is so vague as to almost verge on the passive voice. — Stephanie Walton, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1569, in the meaning defined above