anything that is visible or tangible and is relatively stable in form.
a thing, person, or matter to which thought or action is directed.
an object of medical investigation.
the end toward which effort or action is directed; goal; purpose.
Profit is the object of business.
a person or thing with reference to the impression made on the mind or the feeling or emotion elicited in an observer.
an object of curiosity and pity.
anything that may be apprehended intellectually.
objects of thought.
Optics. the thing of which a lens or mirror forms an image.
Grammar. (in many languages, such as English) a noun, noun phrase, or pronoun that represents either the goal of the action of a verb or the goal of a preposition in a prepositional phrase: for example, ball in John hit the ball, or Venice in He came to Venice, or coin and her in He gave her a coin.
Digital Technology.
any item that can be individually selected or manipulated, as a picture, data file, or piece of text.
in object-oriented programming, a self-contained entity that consists of both data and operations to manipulate the data.
Metaphysics. something toward which a cognitive act is directed.
to offer a reason or argument in opposition.
to express or feel disapproval, dislike, or distaste; be averse.
to refuse or attempt to refuse to permit some action, speech, etc.
to state, claim, or cite in opposition; put forward in objection, disagreement, or disapproval.
Some people objected that the proposed import duty would harm world trade.
Archaic. to bring forward or cite in opposition.
objection.
objective.
a tangible and visible thing
a person or thing seen as a focus or target for feelings, thought, etc
an object of affection
an aim, purpose, or objective
informal a ridiculous or pitiable person, spectacle, etc
philosophy that towards which cognition is directed, as contrasted with the thinking subject; anything regarded as external to the mind, esp in the external world
grammar a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase whose referent is the recipient of the action of a verb See also direct object indirect object
grammar a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that is governed by a preposition
not a hindrance or obstacle
money is no object
computing a self-contained identifiable component of a software system or design
object-oriented programming
(tr; takes a clause as object) to state as an objection
he objected that his motives had been good
to raise or state an objection (to); present an argument (against)
See aim.
First recorded in 1325–75; (noun) Middle English: “something perceived, purpose, objection,” from Medieval Latin objectum “something thrown down or presented (to the mind),” noun use of neuter of Latin objectus “thrown toward,” past participle of obicere, objicere “to throw toward” ( see ob- ( def. ), jet 1 ( def. )); verb from Middle French obje(c)ter, from Latin objectāre “to throw or put before, oppose,” frequentative of obicere, objicere, as above
When your younger brother runs around the house with scissors, you should definitely object. Perhaps a less sharp object such as a roll of paper towels would suffice. An object (OB-ject) is something that is a visible entity, something that can be perceived by the senses. If you are unsure whether something is an object, test it by seeing whether it can cast a shadow; if it can, it's an object, if it can't, it's not. In court, lawyers will often say, "I object!" Here, the verb object (ob-JECT) means to express disagreement.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Like the ousted defence minister, the commander-in-chief avoided directly personal attacks, but the object of much of his criticism was pretty clear.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Its dominant object, a bronze sculpture of the god Veiovis, dates to the first century A.D., after Etruscans became Roman citizens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
"Importantly what the prohibited action here is that the player mustn't move, bend or break any growing or attached natural object."
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
The object is now recognized as the ninth closest white dwarf to the Sun.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
When the princess started to object, Jack’s grandfather interrupted her.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
"And they could not see the object. With JWST, our entire observation took around two hours, and we were successful."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 28, 2026
"What is left is an inanimate object. Like all other objects, some people have no interest in this, some people think it's repulsive, but other people like them and they collect them."
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
“Your honor, I object. This case is not funny!” pleads the prosecutor amid the sweltering hilarity, but few appear to agree with him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
“People have feelings; we have anxiety. And by definition, anxiety doesn’t have a specific object. It’s just: “I feel anxious.”
From Salon ● Jan. 15, 2026
"No, come on. I mean, if money's no object. You ask for it, it's yours."
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
In an interview with Le Parisien, the museum's president Christophe Leribault said the "collections and precious objects" that had been displayed earlier, had been removed.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Scientists believe these objects carried enormous quantities of organic material to the surface.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
Newall's friend Travis Mooney, from Wythenshawe, has stepped in to help him balance the objects, while also filming his feats for social media.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
For modern artists of the time such as Pablo Picasso and Marcel Duchamp, found objects were part of their raw materials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
The carpet is barely visible for random objects lying around.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
My doctor friend objected to his hospital’s fundraising tactics.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Leaders of nearby tribes have also objected to Cadiz’s plans to pump from the desert aquifer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
But Iran has objected to the formula so far because no fees would be paid, they said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
It even objected to the Vatican's decision to have priests face the congregation when holding Mass, preferring the medieval practice of facing the altar, with their backs to the congregants.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
His eager ambition along with his great success led him to think “thoughts too great for man,” the thing of all others the gods objected to.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
While objecting to the subpoenas in court, the company simultaneously convinced the DOJ to drop the case, he said.
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026
South Carolina State University President Alexander Conyers commended the students for objecting “in a manner that reflects the importance of civic engagement and respectful discourse.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026
The hawks could push further, moving from objecting to easing language to actively pressing for a interest-rate hike if energy prices keep climbing.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
Thoreau spent a night in jail for refusing to pay a poll tax, objecting to slavery and the Mexican War.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 6, 2026
A gifted French-horn player, as a teen he was a member of the American University Symphony but quit, according to Walt, after objecting to rules imposed by a high school band leader.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
