voice
voice — noun
- voicesingular
- voicesplural
1. The noises people produce through their mouth when talking or singing, covering
The noises people produce through their mouth when talking or singing, covering aspects such as pitch, loudness, and tone.
Nora has a warm, friendly voice that puts people at ease.
adjective + voice describing personal quality
The radio host's deep voice was easy to recognize anywhere.
When the baby cried at midnight, Maeve spoke to her in a very soft voice.
Visitors to the art museum heard a recorded voice explaining each sculpture.
Beatriz drank hot tea because her voice had gone hoarse from shouting.
用法筆記
Can be used with a wide range of adjectives to describe quality (warm, deep, soft, hoarse, loud, gentle, squeaky).
常見錯誤
2. How well someone sings at a particular time, especially regarding control, pitch
How well someone sings at a particular time, especially regarding control, pitch, and strength — most often expressed with the fixed phrase 'in good voice'.
The soprano was in excellent voice during tonight's performance of Tosca.
in good/excellent voice — fixed phrase for singing well
Hari spent an hour warming up to get his voice ready for the concert.
Despite a scratchy throat from the flu, the folk singer was back in good voice by the third song.
The choir director said the tenors were not in their best voice that morning.
文法句型
in good voice
in excellent voice
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the pattern 'in + possessive + (good/excellent/fine/best) + voice'. Never used with an article ('a voice').
3. The opportunity to state your views on a topic and have those views taken seriou
The opportunity to state your views on a topic and have those views taken seriously by decision-makers.
Every member of the club gets a voice in deciding how the funds are spent.
have/get a voice in + something — right to participate in decisions
The new policy gives parents a stronger voice in their children's education.
Throughout the meeting, only one dissenting voice spoke against the proposal.
Workers at the factory demanded a voice in the discussions about their working hours.
When the city council proposed closing the public library, residents across the neighborhood made their voices heard.
文法句型
give + someone + a voice
have a voice in + something
用法筆記
Frequently used with possessive determiners (their voice, my voice) and often paired with 'in' to specify the area of discussion.
常見錯誤
4. The expression of a particular attitude, belief, or perspective as if it were a
The expression of a particular attitude, belief, or perspective as if it were a person speaking — for example, acting as the voice of reason or the voice of conscience.
Amid the crowd's anger, Aunt Rosa was the one calm voice of reason.
the voice of + [quality] (reason, experience, conscience)
Whenever Lien thought about cheating on the exam, a small voice inside her urged her to be honest.
Grandpa Mateo's stories around the campfire were the voice of a lifetime spent fishing off the coast of Chile.
In the board meeting, the finance director acted as the voice of caution.
- spokesperson
concrete — a person officially chosen to speak for a group
- mouthpiece
informal — someone who speaks for another person or organization
文法句型
the voice of + [quality/attribute]
用法筆記
Almost always singular. The phrase 'the voice of + noun' treats an abstract quality as if it were speaking. Compare sense 3 (RIGHT TO SPEAK), which is about having the right to express an opinion; this sense is about being the expression of a particular viewpoint or feeling.
5. A grammatical pattern that tells you whether the sentence subject performs an ac
A grammatical pattern that tells you whether the sentence subject performs an action or receives it — for example, active voice (doing) versus passive voice (being done to).
The sentence "The cat chased the mouse" is written in the active voice.
active voice vs passive voice — grammatical contrast
In 'The ball was kicked by Tom,' the ball receives the action — a clear example of the passive voice.
The English teacher asked the class to rewrite the paragraph in the passive voice.
Scientific papers often use the passive voice to describe experimental methods.
用法筆記
Always preceded by 'the' and modified by 'active' or 'passive'. Never plural. This is a technical grammar term, not used in everyday conversation.
6. A sound that resembles human speech or singing, produced by something in nature
A sound that resembles human speech or singing, produced by something in nature such as the wind, water, an animal, or a musical instrument.
The voice of the violin filled the concert hall with a sad melody.
the voice of + [object/instrument] — figurative use for sound
Wei heard the voice of the ocean through the shells he held to his ear.
In the forest at night, the voice of the wind sounds like someone whispering.
The distant voice of the waterfall grew louder as the hikers walked closer.
- sound
more general — not limited to human-like or personified sounds
用法筆記
Exclusively figurative or poetic. The pattern 'the voice of + natural element' personifies the object. Rare in everyday spoken English.
7. The physical ability to produce speech using the vocal organs such as the throat
The physical ability to produce speech using the vocal organs such as the throat and vocal cords.
After the surgery on his throat, the patient slowly regained his voice.
lose/regain your voice — ability to speak
The teacher completely lost her voice after teaching six classes in a row.
Tamar drank warm lemon water every morning to protect her voice.
The accident damaged his vocal cords so badly that he never got his voice back.
- speech
broader — includes both the ability and the act of speaking
文法句型
lose your voice
find your voice
regain your voice
用法筆記
Common in the possessive construction 'lose/find/regain + possessive + voice'. Almost always takes a possessive determiner. Distinct from sense 1 (SPEECH SOUNDS) — this sense focuses on the ability to speak at all, not the sound quality.
8. A person who sings, especially one who performs professionally; a vocalist.
A person who sings, especially one who performs professionally; a vocalist.
The opera house hired three new voices for the upcoming season.
voice = singer (metonymy — the instrument stands for the person)
Ife was one of the finest young voices to come out of the jazz scene.
The choir has a strong bass voice that holds the lower notes steady.
Music critics named Beatriz the most exciting new voice in folk music.
用法筆記
A metonymic use where the instrument (voice) stands for the person. Most common in professional music criticism and opera contexts. Less common than 'singer' or 'vocalist' in everyday language.
voice — verb
- voicepresent simple I / you / we / they
- voices3rd person singular
- voicing-ing form
- voicedpast simple
1. To express your opinion or feelings about something, especially when you want to
To express your opinion or feelings about something, especially when you want to raise a concern or disagreement.
Several parents voiced their concerns about the safety of the school playground.
voice + concern/objection/complaint — common collocations
At the town hall meeting, Hari voiced strong opposition to the new road plan.
The employee finally voiced the complaint that had bothered her for months.
When the committee was asked, all members voiced their full support for the project.
- suppress
to keep feelings or opinions hidden
文法句型
voice + concern/objection/complaint/opinion
用法筆記
Followed by a direct object that names what is being expressed (concern, objection, complaint, opinion, support). More formal than 'say' or 'tell'.
常見錯誤
2. To perform the spoken lines for an animated character in a film, TV show, or vid
To perform the spoken lines for an animated character in a film, TV show, or video game.
The famous actor was hired to voice the main character in the new animated film.
A well-known comedian voiced the grumpy old robot in the video game.
voice + character — providing spoken lines for an animated role
The famous singer was thrilled to voice the wise old owl in the upcoming children's cartoon.
My neighbor's daughter voiced a small rabbit in the school's animated project.
- narrate
specific to telling a story or describing events, not performing a character's lines
文法句型
voice + character
用法筆記
The 'speaking on behalf of someone' sub-use (example 3) is less common but accepted. The main use relates to animation and media.
3. In phonetics, to produce a speech sound with your vocal cords vibrating — for ex
In phonetics, to produce a speech sound with your vocal cords vibrating — for example, the English sounds /b/, /d/, and /z/.
In English, the letters B and D are voiced, while P and T are voiceless.
voiced vs voiceless consonants — phonetic contrast
The linguistics student practiced voicing the difference between the sounds /s/ and /z/.
To voice a consonant, feel your vocal cords vibrate inside your throat.
The teacher showed the class how to voice /v/ with a hand on the throat.
- vocalize
broader — can mean to produce any vocal sound, not just with specific cord vibration
- devoice
to pronounce without vocal cord vibration
用法筆記
A technical term in phonetics. Most commonly appears as the adjective 'voiced' (e.g. 'voiced consonant') rather than as a verb. Rare outside language-study contexts.