voice

1 of 2

noun

ˈvȯis

Synonyms of voice next

: sound produced by vertebrates by means of lungs, larynx, or syrinx

especially : sound so produced by human beings

b(1)

: musical sound produced by the vocal folds and resonated by the cavities of head and throat

(2)

: the power or ability to produce musical tones

(3)

: singer

(4)

: one of the melodic parts in a vocal or instrumental composition

(5)

: condition of the vocal organs with respect to production of musical tones

(6)

: the use of the voice (as in singing or acting)

studying voice

: expiration of air with the vocal cords drawn close so as to vibrate audibly (as in uttering vowels and consonant sounds as \v\ or \z\)

: the faculty of utterance

lost my voice

: a sound resembling or suggesting vocal utterance

: an instrument or medium of expression

the party became the voice of the workers

: wish, choice, or opinion openly or formally expressed

the voice of the people

: right of expression

also : influential power

: distinction of form or a system of inflections of a verb to indicate the relation of the subject of the verb to the action which the verb expresses

active and passive voices

voice

2 of 2

verb

voiced; voicing

transitive verb

: to express in words : utter

voice a complaint

: to adjust for producing the proper musical sounds

: to pronounce (a speech sound, such as a consonant) with voice

: to provide a voice-over for (something, such as a motion picture or commercial) : to narrate (a recorded production)

Actress Idina Menzel evoked her recent success voicing the movie "Frozen" with an icy all-white white concoction with a feathery train by Donna Karan Atelier.—

Jocelyn Noveck and Alicia Rancilio

: to perform the lines of (a character in an animated film, video game, etc.)

Featuring characters voiced by Will Ferrell and Morgan Freeman, the cartoon promises to be a real, ahem, blockbuster.—

Franz Lidz

Phrases

with one voice

: without dissent : unanimously

Choose the Right Synonym for voice

express, vent, utter, voice, broach, air mean to make known what one thinks or feels.

express suggests an impulse to reveal in words, gestures, actions, or what one creates or produces.

expressed her feelings in music

vent stresses a strong inner compulsion to express especially in words.

a tirade venting his frustration

utter implies the use of the voice not necessarily in articulate speech.

utter a groan

voice does not necessarily imply vocal utterance but does imply expression or formulation in words.

an editorial voicing their concerns

broach adds the implication of disclosing for the first time something long thought over or reserved for a suitable occasion.

broached the subject of a divorce

air implies an exposing or parading of one's views often in order to gain relief or sympathy or attention.

publicly airing their differences

Example Sentences

Noun He has a deep voice. “Can we speak privately?” she said in a low voice. a voice on the radio We heard voices coming from the next room. She does the voices for several cartoon characters. I shouted so much that I lost my voice. She has a terrific voice. Town meetings give people a voice in local politics. Listen to the voice of the people. Please vote and make your voices heard! Verb The senator angrily voiced his objection to the bill. voiced a suggestion about where to go See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The wall of screens runs BMW’s iDrive 8 interface and includes standard navigation, a voice assistant, and a 5G Wi-FI hotspot. —

Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 22 Mar. 2023 The Bluetooth-compatible accessory features capacitive outer panels for controlling playback, calls, ANC, voice assistant, etc. —

Stephanie Mlot, PCMAG, 21 Mar. 2023 Even a voice mailbox recording would suffice, for example. —

Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2023 But these days, gooseneck kitchen faucets with pull-down sprayers are one of the more popular designs, and many at the higher end offer touchless operation and are smart-enabled for voice control. —

Rachel Klein, Popular Mechanics, 21 Mar. 2023 Leaders in tech are responsible for answering the demands of the historically underrepresented voice of women in technology. —

Meredith Graham, Quartz, 20 Mar. 2023 The reassuring voice of Hall of Fame broadcaster Jon Miller is being put to a test, one on par with maintaining fan enthusiasm during a losing season. —

Sam Whiting, San Francisco Chronicle, 20 Mar. 2023 Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon in Tryon, North Carolina, in 1933, Simone earned a reputation as the voice of the civil rights movement as racial tensions reached a peak in the 1960s. —

Alexis Jones, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2023 Neoconservatives also formed Project for the New American Century, a think tank, to act as the voice for the movement, which now spoke for the Republican Party. —

Max Fisher, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2023

Verb

January 31: A million protestors take to the streets to voice their opposition to the pension reforms in a demonstration mostly organized by the country’s labor groups. —

Diego Lasarte, Quartz, 20 Mar. 2023 Concerto Köln are a verbal group and voice their opinions about the music. —

Beth Wood, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2023 The School District hosted community forums on March 3 and 7 to allow parents and others to voice their opinions and ask questions. —

Marc Hayot, Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2023 The latest rejections by media outlets have prompted users on social media to voice their opinion on the matter. —

Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2023 Residents are invited to attend a public meeting at 10 a.m. Dec. 23 to voice their opinions on local development needs. —

cleveland, 19 Dec. 2022 Having grown up in China, where discussing politics was taboo, my urge to voice my political opinions has almost always lost out to the desire to sustain a facade of harmony. —

Caiwei Chen, WIRED, 16 Dec. 2022 For the longest time, there has been this kind of prisoner’s dilemma, where no one is willing to voice their true opinion. —

Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2022 Desmond took to Facebook again Saturday to urge people to attend the meeting and voice their opinions. —

Travis Andersen, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Dec. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'voice.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old French vois, from Latin voc-, vox; akin to Old High German giwahanen to mention, Greek epos word, speech, Sanskrit vāk voice

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of voice was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century