voice

• voyce (obsolete)

• IPA^(key): /vɔɪs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔɪs

From Middle English voice, voys, vois, borrowed from Anglo-Norman voiz, voys, voice, Old French vois, voiz (Modern French voix), from Latin vōcem, accusative form of vōx (“voice”), from Proto-Indo-European *wṓkʷs, root noun from *wekʷ- (“to utter, speak”). Cognate with Sanskrit वाच् (vāc), Ancient Greek ὄψ (óps), Persian آواز (âvâz). Displaced native Middle English steven (“voice”) (from Old English stefn (see steven)), Old English hlēoþor, and Old English woþ. Broadly overtook Old English reord. Compare advocate, advowson, avouch, convoke, epic, vocal, vouch, vowel. Doublet of vox.

voice (plural voices)

1. Sound uttered by the mouth, especially by human beings in speech or song; sound thus uttered considered as possessing some special quality or character

   The human voice is the oldest musical instrument in history.

   She has a pleasant voice.

   His low voice allowed him to become a bass in the choir.

   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii], page 309, column 1:

     Her voice was euer ſoft,
     Gentle, and low, an excellent thing in woman.

   • 1629, John Milton, “On the Morning of Christs Nativity”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC, page 2:

     And joyn thy voice unto the Angel Quire,

   • 2011 April 10, Alistair Magowan, “Aston Villa 1 - 0 Newcastle”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner had backed manager Houllier during the week and asked for the fans to get behind their team as they looked to steer themselves away from the relegation zone.
     To that end, the home supporters were in good voice to begin with, but it was Newcastle who started the game in the ascendancy, with Barton putting a diving header over the top from Jose Enrique's cross.

2. (phonetics) Sound made through vibration of the vocal cords; sonant, or intonated, utterance; tone; — distinguished from mere breath sound as heard in whispering and voiceless consonants.
3. The tone or sound emitted by an object
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Kings 19:12:

     And after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire, a still small voice.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 40:9:

     Canst thou thunder with a voice like him?

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 93:3:

     The floods have lifted up their voice.

   • 1712, Joseph Addison, Cato, a Tragedy:

     O Marcus, I am warm’d; my heart Leaps at the trumpet’s voice.

4. The faculty or power of utterance

   to cultivate the voice

5. That which is communicated; message; meaning.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Galatians 4:20:

     I desire to bee present with you now, and to change my voyce, for I stand in doubt of you.

   • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene vii]:

     My voice is in my sword.

   • 17th century, John Fell, unknown work

     Let us call on God in the voice of his church.

6. (figurative) An expressed opinion, choice, will, desire, or wish; the right or ability to make such expression or to have it considered
   • c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:

     Sicinius. How now, my masters! have you chose this man? / 1st Citizen. He has our voices, sir.

   • 1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

     Some laws ordain, and some attend the choice / Of holy senates, and elect by voice.

   • 2019 March 24, Helen Regan, Kocha Olarn, “Thailand's youth demand change ahead of elections”, in CNN‎^[2], retrieved 2019-03-24:

     Like many of the 7 million other first time voters, she came of age during half a decade of military rule that has governed the country since former general turned Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha seized power in a 2014 coup. "We have had our voice taken away for five years," she says.

7. (archaic) Command; precept.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy 8:20:

     As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall yee perish; because ye would not be obedient vnto the voice of the Lord your God.

8. One who speaks; a speaker.
   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, (please specify |part=Prologue or Rpilogue, or |canto=I to CXXIX):

     a potent voice of Parliament.

   • 2016, Sonia Tascon, Tyson Wils, Activist Film Festivals: Towards a Political Subject:

     The inclusion of transgender voices further disrupts the homonormalization of sex and identity evident in popular LGBTQ cinema.

   • 2024 July 25, Katie Rogers, quoting Joe Biden, “Biden Says It Is Time to Step Aside for a Fresh, Younger Voice”, in The New York Times‎^[3], →ISSN:

     President Biden told the American public in an Oval Office address on Wednesday that he had abandoned his re-election campaign because there is “a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices — yes, younger voices.”

9. (literature) A particular style or way of writing that expresses a certain tone or feeling.
10. (grammar) A particular way of inflecting or conjugating verbs, or a particular form of a verb, by means of which is indicated the relation of the subject of the verb to the action which the verb expresses.

    The verbal system of Latin has two voices, active and passive.

    • 2012, Drew Arlen Mannetter, I Came, I Saw, I Translated, page 197:

      There are four tenses of the subjunctive (present, perfect, imperfect, and pluperfect) and three voices (active, passive, and deponent). [...] See 12.8 for the formation of the deponent voice.

11. (music) In harmony, an independent vocal or instrumental part in a piece of composition.

    The theme of this piece constantly migrates between the three voice parts.

12. (Internet, IRC) A flag associated with a user on a channel, determining whether or not they can send messages to the channel.
    • 1999 February 20, Cory McWilliams, “IRC oddities”, in alt.irc‎^[4] (Usenet), message-ID <7amrhu$17kg@enews2.newsguy.com>:

      True, better clients will remember that a person had a voice before they were opped and will return the + when they are deopped, but that doesn't solve the problem.

• (sound of human speech): steven (obsolete), reard (obsolete or dialectal)
• (opinion): steven (obsolete), vote, say-so
• (voice of verbs): diathesis, gender (of verbs), grammatical voice, verbal voice

• → Russian: войс (vojs) (slang, from "voice message")

From Middle English voysen, voicen, from the noun (see above).

voice (third-person singular simple present voices, present participle voicing, simple past and past participle voiced)

1. (transitive) To give utterance or expression to; to utter; to publish; to announce

   He voiced the sentiments of the nation.

   • 1893, Annie Wood Besant, An Autobiography:

     How often he would voice his love of England, his admiration of her Parliament, his pride in her history.

   • 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Great Place”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:

     Rather assume thy right in silence and […] then voice it with claims and challenges.

   • 1622, Francis, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban [i.e. Francis Bacon], The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh, […], London: […] W[illiam] Stansby for Matthew Lownes, and William Barret, →OCLC:

     It was voiced that the king purposed to put to death Edward Plantagenet.

2. (transitive, phonology) To utter audibly, with tone and not just breath.
3. (transitive) To fit for producing the proper sounds; to regulate the tone of

   voice the pipes of an organ

4. (transitive, obsolete) To vote; to elect; to appoint
5. (intransitive, obsolete) To clamor; to cry out^[1]
   • 1638, Francis Quarles, Divine Fancies: Digeſted Into Epigrammes, Meditations, and Obſervations‎^[5], London: Iohn Marriot, page 67:

     If thou wilt give me Davids heart; Ile voyce, / Great God, with David; and make Davids choyce.

   • 1666, Robert South, A ſermon preached at Lambeth-Chappel on the 25th of November […] ‎^[6], London: William Nott:

     It is not the gift of every Perſon, nor of every Age, to harangue the multitude, to Voice it high and loud, & Dominari in Concionibus.

   • 1682, Thomas Southern, The Loyal Brother, Or The Perſian Prince‎^[7], London: William Cademan, page 29:

     How wou'd they voice it o're and o're for Tachmas / To come, and blunt the edge of War agen!

   • 1868, Alfred Tennyson, “Lucretius”, in The Holy Grail and Other Poems, London: Strahan and Co., […], published 1870, →OCLC, page 211:

     [L]ambs are glad / Nosing the mother's udder, and the bird / Makes his heart voice among the blaze of flowers: […]

6. (transitive, Internet, IRC) To assign the voice flag to a user on IRC, permitting them to send messages to the channel.
   • 2001 November 22, Thom Peppard, “assistance please”, in alt.irc‎^[8] (Usenet), message-ID <B8225C66.240B%thompeppard@tru.eastlink.ca>:

     I would like this script to allow me to notice not only the ops in a channel, but also those that have been voiced by the ops, at the same time.

   • 2004 August 1, Remco Rijnders, “moderating an IRC session”, in alt.irc‎^[9] (Usenet), message-ID <opsb1625xn32ljov@news.xs4all.nl>:

     If you then want others to be able to talk, you can voice them (+v) or if you want everyone able to talk, you can remove the moderation flag on the channel (-m).

7. (television, film) To act as a voice actor to portray a character.
   • 2012 April 26, Tasha Robinson, “Film: Reviews: The Pirates! Band Of Misfits :”, in The Onion AV Club‎^[10]:

     The openly ridiculous plot has The Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) scheming to win the Pirate Of The Year competition, even though he’s a terrible pirate, far outclassed by rivals voiced by Jeremy Piven and Salma Hayek.

• covie

voice

1. Alternative form of voys