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
-
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:
That analysis ultimately confirmed the object as Elias 2-24 b.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
It’s an object lesson that fits a broader pattern: For more than a decade now, one man’s flights of fancy have inevitably become the country’s pressing concerns.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
The inquest in Crook heard the building's owner, Peter Moody, was pulling up floorboards in the second floor living room when he saw an object wrapped in old brown paper.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
In 2019, an ABC7 chopper was struck by an object believed to be a drone while flying over downtown Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
A hand cupped around an object —any object—could resemble a threat: a sandwich, a bag of Skittles, a BB gun, a stick of chalk, a palmful of air.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
"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
“It’s not like that. The sentence doesn’t have, like, an object. I’m just scared.”
From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green
The release includes incidents dating back to 1952, including footage filmed near Tremonton, Utah, by US Navy Chief Warrant Officer Delbert C. Newhouse, who reported seeing and filming a group of bright airborne objects.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
They have also recorded about 100,000 additional changes to the surface caused either by objects striking the Moon or by debris thrown outward during impacts.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
If the company objects, the venue can’t proceed with the offering.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
According to Mexico's ministry of foreign relations, last year more than 2,000 objects were successfully repatriated.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 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
Citadel Securities has objected to the SEC using innovation exemptions, arguing the agency should use a notice-and-comment process instead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Pugh called Regan’s response “offensive to the women” who she said objected to his behavior.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Staff on the 9/11 Commission objected to the conclusion that Bayoumi was "unlikely" to have been involved with extremists, prompting the report to attribute this to "our investigators who have dealt directly with him"
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
Even pro-AI residents have objected to the furtive maneuvering around data centers.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
“It’s only one child, and no one knows if it’s true,” objected a man from across the room.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
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
While objecting to the subpoenas in court, the company simultaneously convinced the DOJ to drop the case, he said.
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026
Environmentalists had opposed the relief road - objecting to the impact on nature sites along the Gwent Levels.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
Some local officials and activists have begun to push back on data-center plans, objecting to the threat of utility cost increases and job losses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
“I don’t notice you objecting to riding your gelding,” said his father.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
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.
