TOP

Definition of passive noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

passive

noun
 
/ˈpæsɪv/
 
/ˈpæsɪv/
(also passive voice)
[singular] (grammar)
jump to other results
  1. the form of a verb used when the subject is affected by the action of the verb compare activeTopics Languageb1
    Word Originlate Middle English (in sense (2), also in the sense ‘(exposed to) suffering, acted on by an external agency’): from Latin passivus, from pass- ‘suffered’, from the verb pati.
See passive in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee passive in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: passive

Nearby words

previously
adverb
 
 
From the Word list
Oxford 3000
B1
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day