object

noun

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ob·ject | \ ˈäb-jikt

, -(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.

3a : the goal or end of an effort or activity : purpose, objective Their object is to investigate the matter thoroughly. The object of the game is to score the most points.

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)

transitive verb

: to put forth in opposition or as an objection objected that the statement was misleading

intransitive verb

1 : to oppose something firmly and usually with words or arguments

2 : to feel distaste for something

object

adjective

\ ˈäb-jikt

, -(ˌ)jekt

Definition of object (Entry 3 of 3)

: of, relating to, or being object code an object file

Other Words from object Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about object

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Other Words from object

Noun

objectless \ ˈäb-jikt-ləs

, -(ˌ)jekt- \ adjective

objectlessness noun

Verb

objector \ əb-ˈjek-tər

\ noun

Synonyms for object

Synonyms: Noun

thing

Synonyms: Verb

Choose the Right Synonym for object

Noun

intention, intent, purpose, design, aim, end, object, objective, goal mean what one intends to accomplish or attain. intention implies little more than what one has in mind to do or bring about. announced his intention to marry intent suggests clearer formulation or greater deliberateness. the clear intent of the statute purpose suggests a more settled determination. being successful was her purpose in life design implies a more carefully calculated plan. the order of events came by accident, not design aim adds to these implications of effort directed toward attaining or accomplishing. her aim was to raise film to an art form end stresses the intended effect of action often in distinction or contrast to the action or means as such. willing to use any means to achieve his end object may equal end but more often applies to a more individually determined wish or need. his constant object was the achievement of pleasure objective implies something tangible and immediately attainable. their objective is to seize the oil fields goal suggests something attained only by prolonged effort and hardship. worked years to reach her goals

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 first question Todd usually gets when unexpected lights appear in the night sky is whether the object is natural or human-made. — oregonlive, "Dazzling light show in Portland skies likely the remnants of a failed rocket, experts say," 26 Mar. 2021 Their range of motion is restricted in height, but then the object isn’t to kick the sky, but achieve a bit of relaxing motion. — Mark Lamster, Dallas News, "With West End Square, Dallas gets a (very) smart park," 25 Mar. 2021 The object isn't so much to get fans to care once again. — Tim Dahlberg, Star Tribune, "Column: Bigger bases? Bring them on but baseball needs more," 24 Mar. 2021 The object was a stereoscopic image viewer developed by Charles Harrison. — Los Angeles Times, "Architecture’s whiteness by design can change. Mabel Wilson shows us how in MoMA show," 19 Mar. 2021 The object of this popular backyard game is fairly simple. — Maryam Mohamed, CNN, "Here's how you could win $1,000 by playing cornhole in your own backyard," 14 Mar. 2021 The group then debated what the object was — and what to do with it. — Washington Post, "‘Luckily it didn’t spark’: Children discover Civil War-era cannonball in Southeast Virginia," 12 Mar. 2021 While authorities may never be able to explain what the missile-like object was, it’s not the first time a pilot has spotted unexplained flying phenomena. — Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes, "FAA Can’t Explain Pilot’s UFO Sighting Last Weekend Over New Mexico," 25 Feb. 2021 That's right, Emma is cuffed, and the object of her admiration is the super cute Leo Robinton. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "Everything You Need to Know About Leo Robinton, Emma Watson "Serious" Boyfriend," 25 Feb. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Cawthorn supported Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud and voted to object to the certification of some presidential election results. — Washington Post, "Madison Cawthorn wants to get the GOP on Twitch. Will it work?," 31 Mar. 2021 Texans cut off included the 17 Republicans in the House who voted to object to the Electoral College votes, as well as Sen. Ted Cruz. — Elizabeth Thompson, Dallas News, "Dallas-based AT&T pledged to cut funding to GOP objectors after Jan. 6, but gave to PACs tied to them," 23 Mar. 2021 Bardwell, who plans to object to Sackett’s attempt to amend the charges during Friday’s hearing, said all of the evidence from the police report to the complaint shows that Criscione was prosecuted over her Facebook posts. — Cory Shaffer, cleveland, "Woman who criticized Brook Park nursing home official on Facebook faces jail time in case that tests First Amendment," 5 Mar. 2021 Willis initially planned to not object to Rolfe’s motion asking for the disqualification of her office. — Christian Boone, ajc, "Fulton DA asks court to choose a prosecutor for Brooks case," 26 Feb. 2021 Josh Hawley, alongside Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and 12 other Republicans, planned to object to the results of the 2020 election, which President Biden won, as lawmarkers counted electoral votes on Jan. 6. — Jake Dima, Washington Examiner, "Josh Hawley's wife files criminal complaint against organizer of protest at their home," 7 Feb. 2021 Many skeptics have piped up to object to the appointment of Vilsack, 70, who served two terms in President Barack Obama's cabinet. — Art Cullen, Star Tribune, "Is it possible to both revive rural America and help the planet?," 29 Jan. 2021 House Republicans are expected to target results in six states – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania Wisconsin – while senators have committed to object to three. — Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, "GOP lawmakers miscast Congress' counting of Biden's electoral win as a fact-finding mission. It isn't," 6 Jan. 2021 The problem is the report, which the authors seem to want to use as a piece of vindication for the song (despite them saying to the contrary), prove what people who object to the song have been saying all along. — Mike Freeman, USA TODAY, "Opinion: 'Eyes of Texas' report wrongly ignores song's racist intent," 10 Mar. 2021 Recent 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. 2018

These 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.

History and Etymology for object

Noun

Middle English object, objecte "something presented to the senses, purpose, objection," borrowed from Latin objectum "something presented to the senses, charge, accusation" (Medieval Latin also, "something presented to the mind, goal, aim"), noun derivative from neuter of objectus, past participle of obicere, objicere "to throw in the way, place against, put forward, present (to the eyes, mind, etc.), cite as a ground for disapproval," from ob- "against, in the way" + jacere "to throw, cast" — more at ob-, jet entry 3

Verb

Middle English objecten, in part borrowed from Latin objectus, past participle of obicere, objicere "to throw in the way, put forward, cite as a ground for disapproval or criticism," in part borrowed from Latin objectāre "to throw before, put in the way, cite as a ground for disapproval," frequentative of obicere — more at object entry 1

Adjective

from attributive use of object entry 1

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Last Updated

3 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Object.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/object. Accessed 13 Apr. 2021.

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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.

2 : purpose, aim The object is to raise money.

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

Choose the Right Synonym for object

Verb

object and protest mean to oppose something by arguing against it. object is used of a person's great dislike or hatred. I object to being called a liar. protest is used for the act of presenting objections in speech, writing, or in an organized, public demonstration. There were several groups protesting the building of the airport.