object
noun
anything that is visible or tangible and is relatively stable in form.
Trivia Time
Which term, borrowed from French, describes a small, interesting object?
object
1 American
[ob-jikt, -jekt, uhb-jekt]
/ ˈɒb dʒɪkt, -dʒɛkt, əbˈdʒɛkt /
noun
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objects
plural
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anything that is visible or tangible and is relatively stable in form.
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a thing, person, or matter to which thought or action is directed.
an object of medical investigation.
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the end toward which effort or action is directed; goal; purpose.
Profit is the object of business.
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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.
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anything that may be apprehended intellectually.
objects of thought.
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Optics. the thing of which a lens or mirror forms an image.
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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.
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Digital Technology.
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any item that can be individually selected or manipulated, as a picture, data file, or piece of text.
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in object-oriented programming, a self-contained entity that consists of both data and operations to manipulate the data.
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Metaphysics. something toward which a cognitive act is directed.
verb (used without object)
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objects,
present (3rd person singular)
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objected,
past participle, past
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objecting
present participle
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to offer a reason or argument in opposition.
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to express or feel disapproval, dislike, or distaste; be averse.
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to refuse or attempt to refuse to permit some action, speech, etc.
verb (used with object)
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objects,
present (3rd person singular)
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objected,
past participle, past
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objecting
present participle
-
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.
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Archaic. to bring forward or cite in opposition.
object.
2
American
abbreviation
-
objection.
-
objective.
object
1
British
/ ˈɒbdʒɪkt /
noun
-
a tangible and visible thing
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a person or thing seen as a focus or target for feelings, thought, etc
an object of affection
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an aim, purpose, or objective
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informal a ridiculous or pitiable person, spectacle, etc
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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
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grammar a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase whose referent is the recipient of the action of a verb See also direct object indirect object
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grammar a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that is governed by a preposition
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not a hindrance or obstacle
money is no object
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computing a self-contained identifiable component of a software system or design
object-oriented programming
object
2
British
/ əbˈdʒɛkt /
verb
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(tr; takes a clause as object) to state as an objection
he objected that his motives had been good
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to raise or state an objection (to); present an argument (against)
object
Cultural
object
Idioms
Synonym Usage
See aim.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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objectsimple
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objectssimple
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have objectedperfect
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has objectedperfect
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am objectingprogressive
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are objectingprogressive
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is objectingprogressive
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have been objectingperfect progressive
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has been objectingperfect progressive
Past
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objectedsimple
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had objectedperfect
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was objectingprogressive
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were objectingprogressive
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had been objectingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of object
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
Explanation
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.
Vocabulary lists containing object
Language and Grammar - High School
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Out of the Dust
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Language and Grammar - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It is also consistent with estimates that Earth and the Moon formed roughly 100 million years after the Sun, with the Moon likely being the result of a collision between Earth and a Mars-sized object.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
He wrote that “somebody in that Delta cockpit lost spatial awareness near an object roughly the size of a condominium building with wings.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Besides, Cathy is not an easy empathy object.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
Sometimes it’s just an ordinary object that bears witness to something that mattered.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
He shows me a long metal pole with a grabby claw-thing on the end, a strange little object that looks like a compass, and a handful of plastic bags.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
"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
To that, Cronenberg says, “My father was a stamp collector so I certainly understand the idea of collecting a rare object. Humans are strange. What can I say?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026
“I don’t think there’s anything hidden in the icing,” said Scrimgeour, “but a Snitch would be a very good hiding place for a small object. You know why, I’m sure?”
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
These systems appear to result from lower-energy collisions, including grazing impacts between Moon-sized objects.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
Year: 2023 Compiled by: Nitish Pahwa Of note: The disgraced ex-mayor is still holding various objects aloft.
From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2026
He is delighted he can produce functional objects as well as massive paintings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
The objects include unexploded ordnance, drones and other unmanned vehicles found washed ashore or floating at sea, it said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
She said, “As long as you would be kind enough not to remove the books and scientific objects from my room, I don’t see any reason why you can’t borrow anything else onboard.”
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
Pike's legal team had previously objected to the execution's IV protocol, saying it would have caused needless suffering due to her small veins and a blood condition.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
At a Thursday press briefing, South Korea’s industry minister, Kim Jung-kwan, objected to the U.S. characterization of the country’s Alaska LNG investment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
However, the proposed transformation sparked fierce backlash from neighbors, who objected to the scale of the project.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
There hasn't been an explicit denial, but the Palace has objected in very strong terms to how Earl Spencer has presented the past.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
“But he’ll be asleep,” the servant groggily objected.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Daniels has been criticized on social media for objecting to Pickett wearing No. 5, primarily because Burrows led LSU to a national title while Daniels did not.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Ruth said her brothers are objecting and have threatened to sue Ruth over their potential inheritance and custody of the remains.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
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
Eventually objecting to Seybert’s spirit “mania,” Maggie resigned and returned to rented rooms in New York.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
