passive

7 definitions • 12 examples

The passive form of a verb is being used when the grammatical subject is the person or thing that experiences the effect of an action, rather than the person or thing that causes the effect:

'He was released from prison' is a passive sentence.

In the sentence "He was hit by the ball", "was hit" is in the passive voice.

not acting to influence or change a situation; allowing other people to be in control:

He's very passive in the relationship.

Traditionally in many professions women have been confined to more passive roles.

Passive income is money that you earn without having to work for it every day, for example money that you receive from renting out a property. :

Buying a second home can provide a rental that you can use to create passive income.

You collect passive income from certain businesses in which you aren't an active participant.

the form of a verb used when the grammatical subject is the person or thing that experiences the effect of an action, rather than the person or thing that causes the effect:

When changed into the passive, "The dog chased the cat" becomes "The cat was chased by the dog".

Passives are much more common in Sesotho than in English.

not reacting to what happens, or not acting or taking part:

They attack people who are too weak or too passive to resist.

describing a verb or sentence in which the subject is the person or thing to which something stated is done:

In the sentence "I was given a gift by Alex," the verb "give" is passive, or in the passive voice.

not acting to influence or change a situation, but allowing others to be in control:

One of the interviewers asked most of the questions, and the other took a more passive role.

Interactive TV technology makes passive viewers into active participants.