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.
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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:
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
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
The object lies in the constellation Draco, about 3.4 billion light-years from Earth.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
The crisis management centre later said an object had "likely" entered from Belarus and travelled across the country's territory before entering the airspace of Russia.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
“Jonah Skidmore? So you’re really . . .” Mr. Hodge peered down at the small silver object in his hand.
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
Any situation involving many objects that collide while being pushed by an unpredictable force could behave in a similar way.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
That similarity suggests the mysterious red objects could represent an early stage of extremely rapid black hole growth.
From Science Daily ● 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
Given the spatial finesse of the lobby below, it is sad to find the utilitarian treatment of a box store or trade show above the museum’s most important objects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
We shared what we knew about the mechanics of how objects operate in space, flight trajectories and how to guide flying objects, propulsion, heating and materials, and the environment in space.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., was among several venues that objected to hosting Sheeran’s tour if Macklemore remained on the bill.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Many victims’ families and advocacy groups, some of whom vowed to lay down in front of bulldozers, objected to rebuilding on the site because they considered it a graveyard and hallowed ground.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
“I objected in the strongest possible terms and fought it as hard as I could. It wasn’t enough.”
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
But the presence of Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov prompted protests from European officials, who objected to appearing in a traditional "family photo" with him.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
“But the gas light hurts her eyes,” objected Francie.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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
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.