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
The paintings in the exhibition — there are about 50 — are spectacular too, but in a more subdued way than the large-scale objects. — Sharmila Mukherjee, The Seattle Times, "SAM’s ‘Peacock in the Desert’ opens the doors of our perception to the marvelous," 2 Jan. 2019 It's based on how that object reflects light that's outside the range of human vision. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Bikes, bowling balls, and the delicate balancing act that is modern recycling," 31 Dec. 2018 Those pictures will still be a tad fuzzy, due to the vehicle’s distance from the object. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "How to watch as NASA sends a spacecraft past a rock at the edge of the Solar System," 30 Dec. 2018 Here, two germ experts identify the objects that tend to be dirtiest in most homes and share advice on how to go about cleaning them. 1. — Colleen Stinchcombe, SELF, "These Are the Dirtiest Things in Your Home (Which You Should Clean Immediately)," 21 Dec. 2018 There’s one more piece of Prey left to come though: An asymmetric multiplayer update called Typhon Hunter, where a human player has to track down five other Mimics, disguised as random objects in the environment. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: Call of Duty starts selling sans-Zombies, DayZ preps Early Access exit," 7 Dec. 2018 Some of them might get freaked out over some objects while others will be completely wrong with their guesses in this hilarious game. — Tamara Fuentes, Seventeen, "25 Fun Challenges to Play With Your Friends," 27 Nov. 2018 But there's likely one specific object that's in each and every one of those scenarios: a Christmas tree. — Nicol Natale, Woman's Day, "Why Do We Have Christmas Trees?," 15 Nov. 2018 Behind the objects on display is some interesting history. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "The Romanovs' Relationship with the British Royal Family Is Explored in an Exhibit at Buckingham Palace," 9 Nov. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
At the time, Google employees held rallies to object; Amazon and Expedia were among the companies that filed in court to stop the order. — Sheera Frenkel, New York Times, "Microsoft Employees Protest Work With ICE, as Tech Industry Mobilizes Over Immigration," 19 June 2018 Here are a few reactions from UCF fans: While UCF fans may not have appreciated the anthem, no one seemed to object to highlighting the Golden Knights’ mascot during the pregame show that had the feel of a Vegas show. — Iliana Limón Romero, OrlandoSentinel.com, "UCF fans take issue with Las Vegas Golden Knights' national anthem twist," 29 May 2018 The government has said that general practitioners — doctors who are the first port of call for patients — will be asked to provide abortions, although they will still be allowed to conscientiously object to terminations at their clinics. — BostonGlobe.com, "Final results in Ireland show voters overwhelmingly rejected ban on abortions," 27 May 2018 Medical practitioners would still have the option to conscientiously object. — Gabriella Paiella, The Cut, "Everything to Know About Ireland’s Historic Abortion Referendum," 22 May 2018 Furthermore, the district may not have much leeway to object if the state does take it over. — Sarah Jones, The New Republic, "Matt Bevin’s Revenge?," 4 May 2018 At issue is the 50-member delegation representing civil society, experts, independents, tribal leaders and women which the government has been objecting to. — Jamey Keaten, The Seattle Times, "Major powers report progress on new Syria constitution body," 18 Dec. 2018 One of the challenges of identifying distant solar system objects like Farout is correctly mapping the paths of their orbits. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Scientists Find the Most Distant Solar System Object Yet," 17 Dec. 2018 Late last year, Exxon was among the companies that objected to a measure debated by ALEC meant to encourage states to prod the Environmental Protection Agency to rescind its Obama-era determination that climate change requires regulation. — Kevin Crowley And Ari Natter, Houston Chronicle, "Exxon quits Koch-backed business group after climate change disagreement," 13 July 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
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. 2018 But Democrats — who are typically fiercely opposed to any reductions in Medicare, which would see roughly $25 billion in cuts per year — did not object Thursday. — Author: Mike Debonis, Erica Werner, Anchorage Daily News, "Congress averts partial government shutdown with Senate passage of stopgap spending bill," 22 Dec. 2017 Hence, the New Yorker’s dilemma: resign yourself to living with an unsightly object year-round or go to the trouble of removing it? — Ronda Kaysen, New York Times, "The Window Air-Conditioner: Should It Stay or Go?," 3 Nov. 2017 Princeton Lightwave's technology will help Argo move forward in handling object detection in challenging scenarios, such as fog, heavy rain and snow and safely operating at high speeds. — Greg Gardner, Detroit Free Press, "Ford partner Argo AI buys Princeton Lightwave to expand autonomous tools," 27 Oct. 2017 Democrats on the Judiciary Committee, meanwhile, didn’t even object to Senator Orrin Hatch’s suggestion that Hill had copied one of her stories about Clarence Thomas from The Exorcist. — Rebecca Traister, The Cut, "The Conversation We Should Be Having," 19 Oct. 2017These 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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