direct object

noun

1. a word or group of words representing the person or thing upon which the action of a verb is performed or toward which it is directed: in English, generally coming after the verb, without a preposition. In He saw it the pronoun it is the direct object of saw.

direct object

noun

1. grammar a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase whose referent receives the direct action of a verb. For example, a book is the direct object in the sentence They bought Anne a book Compare indirect object

direct object

1. A noun, pronoun, or group of words serving as the receiving end of an action, such as the ball in “Tabitha hit the ball.” A direct object can be a word, phrase, or clause: “Sam chose Rusty to play shortstop”; “I will never understand why he came home.” (Compare indirect object.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of direct object¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

In Mr. DeSantis’s parlance, the verb does not always require a direct object.

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According to Solomon, "at one point in his email, he bold-faced a single sentence for emphasis: 'Cybersecurity was never the direct object of any of our communications,'" in reference to Papadopoulos.

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The word applied both to females in the singular and to any group in the plural when a direct object was needed in a sentence.

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The instructor on the big-screen monitor, broadcasting from John A. Logan Community College, 35 miles away, nods and begins her Spanish 102 lesson, diagramming sentences with action verbs and direct object pronouns.

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The syntax forces us to consider “me” also as the direct object: the “little dog” feels like a self-portrait.

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