SINCE 1828
object
noun
ob·ject
| \ ˈäb-jikt
, -(ˌ)jekt
\
, -(ˌ)jekt
\
Definition of object
(Entry 1 of 3)
1a
: something material that may be perceived by the senses
I see an object in the distance.
b
: something that when viewed stirs a particular emotion (such as pity)
Look on the tragic loading of this bed … the object poisons sight; let it be hid.— William Shakespeare
2a
: something mental or physical toward which thought, feeling, or action is directed
an object for study the object of my affection delicately carved art objects
b
: something physical that is perceived by an individual and becomes an agent for psychological identification
The mother is the primary object of the child.
b
: a cause for attention or concern
Money is no object.
4
: a thing that forms an element of or constitutes the subject matter of an investigation or science
objects of study
5a
: a noun or noun equivalent (such as a pronoun, gerund, or clause) denoting the goal or result of the action of a verb (such as ball in I hit the ball)
b
: a noun or noun equivalent in a prepositional phrase (such as table in on the table)
6a
: a data structure in object-oriented programming that can contain functions (see function entry 1 sense 7) as well as constants, variables, and other data structures
b
: a discrete entity (such as a window or icon) in computer graphics (see graphic entry 2 sense 2b) that can be manipulated independently of other such entities
object
verb
ob·ject
| \ əb-ˈjekt
\
\
objected;
objecting;
objects
Definition of object (Entry 2 of 3)
: to put forth in opposition or as an objection
objected that the statement was misleading
1
: to oppose something firmly and usually with words or arguments
2
: to feel distaste for something
object
adjective
\ ˈäb-jikt
, -(ˌ)jekt
\
, -(ˌ)jekt
\
Definition of object (Entry 3 of 3)
: of, relating to, or being object code
an object file
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Other Words from object
Noun
objectless
\ ˈäb-jikt-ləs
, -(ˌ)jekt- \
adjective
, -(ˌ)jekt- \
adjective
objectlessness
noun
Verb
objector
\ əb-ˈjek-tər
\
noun
\
noun
Synonyms for object
Synonyms: Noun
Synonyms: Verb
demur, except, expostulate, kick, protest, remonstrate
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Examples of object in a Sentence
Noun
There were three objects in the box: a comb, a pen, and a button. His object is to determine how much the business will cost to operate.Verb
No one objected when the paintings were removed. “We can't buy the chair,” he objected. “It won't fit in the car.”
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Two games Without Noble Manchester City are an unstoppable force, but West Ham could have made themselves a little more of an immovable object in their Premier League opener. — SI.com, "Mark Noble: Why the West Ham Captain Is Still Key to Hammers Success," 11 Sep. 2019 Unable to demonstrate inside the terminal, protesters moved instead to block access to the airport on September 1, barricading roads and throwing objects on the tracks of the Airport Express train. — Ben Westcott, CNN, "Hong Kong protesters threaten new airport disruptions after street clashes with police," 7 Sep. 2019 Superconductivity requires that electrons pair up, as the pairs then form a kind of extended object that can move without resistance. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Hydride predicted to be superconductive at room temperature," 6 Sep. 2019 Where a force changes the momentum of an object, torque changes the angular momentum. — Rhett Allain, WIRED, "The Twisty Physics of Simone Biles' Historic Triple-Double," 12 Aug. 2019 Possibly, planets on either side of the gap are different sorts of object. — The Economist, "Astronomers are probing faraway planets with greater sophistication," 3 Aug. 2019 To come to the feeling-about at the edge of the objectand stay. — Jorie Graham, The New Yorker, "Prayer Found Under Floorboard," 22 July 2019 The light would take different paths to the telescope, generating different images of the same object. — Audrey Mcavoy, Anchorage Daily News, "Giant Hawaii telescope will dive into the big unknowns of the universe," 19 July 2019 These city-sized objects are essentially ginormous atomic nuclei. — Fox News, "'Biggest' star in the universe discovered, 700K times heavier than Earth," 17 Sep. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Only this Saturday’s 11 a.m. kick with Southern Miss breaks the streak, though Alabama officials objected last week to another daytime game. — Michael Casagrande | Mcasagrande@al.com, al, "Alabama-Ole Miss kickoff time set," 16 Sep. 2019 What both objected to was the way the state sought to treat them. — The Economist, "A sad, tawdry end for Robert Mugabe," 15 Sep. 2019 Fox News host Steve Hilton criticized Liz Cheney over her comments objecting to a possible Camp David meeting between President Trump and Taliban leaders. — Nick Givas, Fox News, "Steve Hilton calls out Liz Cheney over objection to Trump-Taliban meeting: 'Please spare us'," 9 Sep. 2019 Progressives were aghast, and when actress Alyssa Milano objected, Texas Senator Ted Cruz jumped in to support Schaefer’s argument (in less bombastic terms). — Rich Lowry, National Review, "Yes, Gun Ownership Is a God-Given Right," 6 Sep. 2019 Separately, the groups objecting to this decision note that the law indicates that the DOE shouldn't drop any efficiency standards below 45 lumens/Watt. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "DOE has decided many lightbulbs don’t have to meet efficiency standards," 5 Sep. 2019 Neighboring property owner William Jessen submitted a letter to the city objecting to Lentsch’s set-up, even though Jessen has been using his own front lot for State Fair parking for years. — Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, "State Fair parking brouhaha: One neighbor’s objection blocks another from parking vehicles in his front yard," 3 Sep. 2019 In formal comments objecting to the wall's construction in July, Grijalva said the impact on the environment could never fully be known. — Stefan Becket, CBS News, "Construction begins on 30-foot border wall in fragile Arizona desert," 29 Aug. 2019 The discovery of the video The judge allowed Morgan to record the trial with a tablet even though Rojas' lawyers objected. — Lauren Castle, azcentral, "Man gets new trial after local blogger posts video of jury online," 29 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
But Democrats can’t really object, given their past positions. — The Washington Post, Twin Cities, "Other voices: Democrats should give Trump a win on this trade deal," 15 Sep. 2019 Other Apple products potentially on the way include a redesigned MacBook Pro with a 16-inch screen, and a new AR-friendly object tracker similar to Tile’s Bluetooth trackers. — Patrick Lucas Austin, Time, "Apple Is Set to Unveil New iPhones on Tuesday. Here's How and When to Watch," 9 Sep. 2019 Opponents object to local and state government actions as much as to Rockwool itself. — Patricia Sullivan, Washington Post, "Insulation plant divides community in West Virginia," 9 June 2019 In theory, the tributaries would converge on a handful of top-layer neurons, which would represent sound or object categories. — Quanta Magazine, "A Common Logic to Seeing Cats and Cosmos," 4 Dec. 2014 But a key difference is that these are entirely in 3D and are deployed with a much smarter sense of spatial and object recognition, thanks to Google’s advances in artificial intelligence. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "Google has a big advantage over Facebook in a crisis," 10 Oct. 2018 In South Korea, where the government of President Moon Jae-in has been pushing for the détente between the United States and North Korea, officials did not object outright to Mr. Trump’s surprise announcement about military drills. — Motoko Rich, New York Times, "Trump-Kim Summit Creates New Anxieties for Asian Allies," 13 June 2018 Annihilation’s great achievement is in exploring these themes through object embodiment, rather than in words. — Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, "Annihilation Is a Brilliant Splicing of Woolf With Cronenberg," 27 Feb. 2018 Fans will no doubt object to the change since the race - like everything else about Marlins baseball - is steeped in tradition, dating all the way back to 2012. — Bud Shaw, cleveland.com, "Which trade deadline addition will make the biggest impact for the Cavs: Bud vs. Doug," 14 Feb. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'object.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for object
object
noun
English Language Learners Definition of object
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a thing that you can see and touch and that is not alive
: someone or something that makes you feel a specified emotion
: someone or something that your attention or interest is directed toward
object
verb
English Language Learners Definition of object (Entry 2 of 2)
: to disagree with something or oppose something
: to say (something that explains why you oppose something or disagree)
See the full definition for object in the English Language Learners Dictionary
object
noun
ob·ject
| \ ˈäb-jikt
\
\
Kids Definition of object
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: something that may be seen or felt
Tables and chairs are objects.
3
: something that arouses feelings in an observer
That diamond is the object of their envy.
4
: a noun or a term behaving like a noun that receives the action of a verb or completes the meaning of a preposition
object
verb
ob·ject
| \ əb-ˈjekt
\
\
objected;
objecting
Kids Definition of object (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to offer or mention as a reason for a feeling of disapproval
She objected that the price was too high.
2
: to oppose something firmly and usually with words
Surely her mother would not object to a nutritious hard-boiled egg.— Beverly Cleary, Ramona Quimby
object
noun
ob·ject
| \ ˈäb-(ˌ)jekt, -jikt
\
\
Medical Definition of object
1
: something material that may be perceived by the senses
2
: something mental or physical toward which thought, feeling, or action is directed
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object
noun
ob·ject
| \ ˈäb-jikt
\
\
Legal Definition of object
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: something toward which thought, feeling, or action is directed — see also natural object
2
: the purpose or goal of something
especially, in the civil law of Louisiana
: the purpose for which a contract or obligation is formed
object
transitive verb
ob·ject
| \ əb-ˈjekt
\
\
Legal Definition of object (Entry 2 of 2)
: to state in opposition or as an objection
objected that the evidence was inadmissible
: to state opposition especially to something in a judicial proceeding
objected to the testimony on the ground that it was hearsay
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Comments on object
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