anything that is visible or tangible and is relatively stable in form.
a thing, person, or matter to which thought or action is directed.
an object of medical investigation.
the end toward which effort or action is directed; goal; purpose.
Profit is the object of business.
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.
anything that may be apprehended intellectually.
objects of thought.
Optics. the thing of which a lens or mirror forms an image.
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.
Digital Technology.
any item that can be individually selected or manipulated, as a picture, data file, or piece of text.
in object-oriented programming, a self-contained entity that consists of both data and operations to manipulate the data.
Metaphysics. something toward which a cognitive act is directed.
to offer a reason or argument in opposition.
to express or feel disapproval, dislike, or distaste; be averse.
to refuse or attempt to refuse to permit some action, speech, etc.
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.
Archaic. to bring forward or cite in opposition.
objection.
objective.
a tangible and visible thing
a person or thing seen as a focus or target for feelings, thought, etc
an object of affection
an aim, purpose, or objective
informal a ridiculous or pitiable person, spectacle, etc
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
grammar a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase whose referent is the recipient of the action of a verb See also direct object indirect object
grammar a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that is governed by a preposition
not a hindrance or obstacle
money is no object
computing a self-contained identifiable component of a software system or design
object-oriented programming
(tr; takes a clause as object) to state as an objection
he objected that his motives had been good
to raise or state an objection (to); present an argument (against)
See aim.
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
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The researchers also examined the characteristics of the particles being accelerated, information that may help reveal what kind of object is powering the process.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026
The bottles sit inside a handcrafted miniature Woody Wagon, which doubles as an art object.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said about 20 objects were seen close to Polish airspace overnight and pyrotechnical analysis was being carried out to determine the identity of the object that fell near Tarnawa Kolonia.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Both teams would object, correctly, that changing the boundaries of the game this close to the final whistle makes a fair outcome impossible.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
Parks Canada is also taking advantage of another technological development called stereophotogrammetry, which produces pictures in pairs and then synthesizes hundreds of these pairings to produce extraordinarily clear images of whatever object is being studied.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
"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
“And in his hand you saw an object. Is that correct?”
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
The team now plans to study those candidates more comprehensively to determine how many can be confirmed and what types of cosmic objects produce them.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026
Once in a lab, the objects will undergo a desalination process to make sure they’re stable enough for further study.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Experts have ruled out lead toxicity and swallowed objects, but a diagnosis remains elusive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Before radio astronomy was pioneered by people like Lovell, most observatories used visible light to detect objects in space.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
It was only the Widow Ashton’s inability to see objects clearly without her pince-nez that prevented her from spotting her daughter-in-law the moment she climbed out of her carriage.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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
Leaders of nearby tribes have also objected to Cadiz’s plans to pump from the desert aquifer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
He was not an overly doting father, and yet he never objected to them jumping on him, grabbing him.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
The hawks could push further, moving from objecting to easing language to actively pressing for a interest-rate hike if energy prices keep climbing.
From Barron's ● May 6, 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
Woods' lawyers can fight against the subpoena or legal order regarding prescription records by objecting to it within 10 days.
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 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
It was hard to imagine anyone objecting to these kindly people.
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
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.
