direct object

American  

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.

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direct object British  

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

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direct object Cultural  

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.)

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Etymology

Origin of direct object

First recorded in 1900–05

Compare meaning

How does direct-object compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• direct object vs. indirect object

Example Sentences

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.

From Salon • Feb. 4, 2023

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.

From Washington Post • Oct. 27, 2021

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.

From Washington Times • Feb. 8, 2020

In Steve kicked John, Steve is the subject and John is the direct object.

From Economist • May 24, 2018

The words and structures lie waiting in memory, bearing little tags like “here’s a way to delay mentioning a modifier” or “my direct object is the thing being transferred.”

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker