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:
"The next best thing is a colander," Heymans said - or any household object with small holes.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Authorities also are looking into a second unidentified object that collided with a cargo plane after the plane aborted its landing at Leipzig due to the closure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
According to minutes from a Thursday hearing on the matter, Rockwell concluded that, to the extent the measure’s backers object to that language, they are objecting to “the provisions of the measure itself.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
That aircraft was then hit by an unidentified object in mid-air before it landed safely in Hanover, where "minor damage" to the aircraft was discovered.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
He had his hand outstretched, his fingers so close to the object in Jonah’s hand that he easily could have grabbed it.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
"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
He hears anecdotally that “they are intrigued by the book as an object. They enjoy the tactility of it. They don’t just want an e-book.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2023
“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
Other objects seized in the police sting included satellite phones, GPS devices, encrypted communication tools and satellite dishes.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
But this presentation, spanning a quarter-century and featuring more than 100 objects, shows that a popular visual trademark does not a great artist make.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
OpenAI asked candidates to bring “prototypes” and design files to interviews for “show and tell” sessions, an American classroom exercise where students present objects to their classmates, Apple alleges.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
By one count, there are more than 17,000 metric tons of objects in Earth orbit, including nearly 19,000 satellites.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 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
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
My doctor friend objected to his hospital’s fundraising tactics.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Mr. Mengestu objected to the article’s restatement of PEN’s longstanding opposition to cultural and academic boycotts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
“But averages aren’t real,” objected Milo; “they’re just imaginary.”
From "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster
According to minutes from a Thursday hearing on the matter, Rockwell concluded that, to the extent the measure’s backers object to that language, they are objecting to “the provisions of the measure itself.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 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
Environmentalists had opposed the relief road - objecting to the impact on nature sites along the Gwent Levels.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
In dissent, Judge Allison Eid wrote that Project Soy didn’t lack economic substance, partly because the government was just objecting to the timing of the transaction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
A gifted French-horn player, as a teen he was a member of the American University Symphony but quit, according to Walt, after objecting to rules imposed by a high school band leader.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
