In
grammar, the
voice (also called
diathesis and (rarely)
gender (of verbs)) of a verb describes the relationship between the action (or state) that the verb expresses and the participants identified by its
arguments (subject, object, etc.). When the
subject is the agent or doer of the action, the verb is in the
active voice. When the subject is the patient, target or undergoer of the action, the verb is said to be in the
passive voice.