passiveadjective
uk/ˈpæs.ɪv/us/ˈpæs.ɪv/passive adjective (BEHAVIOUR)
B2 often disapproving not acting to influence or change a situation; allowing other people to be in control:
More examples
- the passive voice/mood
- 'Catrin told me' is an active sentence, and 'I was told by Catrin' is passive.
- In a passive sentence, the subject is the person or thing affected by the action of the verb.
- 'Was made' is a passive form of the verb 'make'.
- Some verbs do not have a passive form.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Passive and not working
- anywhere
- arse about/around
- breather
- breathing space
- bum
- bum around
- float
- idle
- laze
- leave sb be idiom
- lie around
- moribund
- navel
- not get/go anywhere idiom
- recharge
- slob
- slob around (sth)
- slop around (sth)
- stew
- take five idiom
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passive adjective (GRAMMAR)
B1 specialized language 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:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Linguistics: verb forms, tenses & types of verbs
- accusative
- arose
- art
- aspect
- began
- bent
- ditransitive
- historic present
- linking verb
- main verb
- passivize
- past participle
- predicate
- progressive
- the future perfect
- the pluperfect
- the present simple
- the third person
- transitive
- wast
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passivenoun [ S ]
uk/ˈpæs.ɪv/us/ˈpæs.ɪv/specializedB1 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:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Linguistics: verb forms, tenses & types of verbs
- accusative
- arose
- art
- aspect
- began
- bent
- ditransitive
- historic present
- linking verb
- main verb
- passivize
- past participle
- predicate
- progressive
- the future perfect
- the pluperfect
- the present simple
- the third person
- transitive
- wast
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