object
noun
anything that is visible or tangible and is relatively stable in form.
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:
McMahon said parents should be able to object when they believe AI isn’t helping their children, while acknowledging schools are still learning what effective AI education looks like.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
Be careful not to put the extinguisher in a place where it could become a dangerous flying object in an accident.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
"The message is pretty clear: embodied AI has become the new object of desire."
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
The team also separated the light coming from the galaxy itself from the light produced by its nucleus and examined whether the object emitted X-rays.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
Duane addressed the object in an apologetic tone.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
"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
The chimney, says Akashi, is “a kind of restless object. It only functions with a home.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026
“It’s beautiful and powerful, and I dare Principal Rivera to object. Let’s do it.”
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
Cusk describes these spaces in great detail, as if they were fetish objects.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
The gallery, which has remained hidden from view since 1943, will reopen from 16 September, featuring 50 objects which show our evolving relationship with the natural world.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Shoes are the focus of works by Annette Kelm and Wendy Red Star, each of whom look at the ways manufacturing, branding and history are tied up in these objects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Like most objects in the universe, black holes are thought to spin.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Year after year, aided by improved magnetometers that detected metal objects at deeper locations than ever before, more and more of the sunken vessel was uncovered.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
The same three had objected in April to language signaling that a cut was the likelier next move.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
The sister of the woman Knox was acquitted of murdering has objected to the show that is due to be performed at the Edinburgh Fringe festival.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Goltes objected to Doncic’s desire to bring Gabriela back to the United States with him when he joined the Lakers in Philadelphia to play the 76ers on Dec. 7.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
A Florida English professor is suing her former public college, alleging she was fired after its president objected to an award-winning short story she assigned in a freshman literature course.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
“Dunno. Football. School. Wrangling the odd bull who objected to losing his testicles.”
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
The visibly frail politician was objecting to state lawyers being appointed to represent him when he fell, prompting prison guards to rush him to hospital.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
The client had already received several owner-occupied loans in just a few years, and the banker was objecting to a new one, people familiar with the matter said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 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
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
Were they objecting to my referring to Brockway as Mister?
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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.
