object

object — noun

IPA/ˈɒbdʒɪkt/
KK[ˈɑbdʒɛkt]IPA/ˈɑːbdʒɪkt/
  • objectsingular
  • objectsplural

1. a solid item, usually small enough to hold or move, that you can look at and tou

1.nounB1
Definition

a solid item, usually small enough to hold or move, that you can look at and touch — for example a cup, a key, or a book — and that is not a person, animal, or plant.

Example

Sara emptied her bag and laid each object on the kitchen table.

concrete countable noun in object position

The museum keeps small ancient objects inside locked glass cases.

plural with descriptive adjectives

Common collocations
  • foreign object
  • sharp object
  • everyday object
  • shiny object
  • household object
Synonyms
  • item

    neutral; common in lists and inventories

  • thing

    everyday spoken word; less precise

  • article

    slightly formal; common in legal or commercial contexts

Usage Note

Often modified by an adjective of size, shape, or material (small / round / metal / wooden). Use 'thing' in casual speech; 'object' sounds more careful or technical.

Common Mistakes

My dog is my favourite object.
My dog is my favourite animal.
living things are not called 'objects'.

2. in a sentence, the word or phrase that names whoever or whatever a verb acts on,

2.nounB1
Definition

in a sentence, the word or phrase that names whoever or whatever a verb acts on, or that sits right after a preposition; for example 'apple' in 'I ate an apple'.

Example

In the sentence 'Mia broke the vase', the word 'vase' is the direct object.

direct object terminology

An indirect object often names the person who receives something, like 'her' in 'I gave her a letter'.

indirect object terminology

Common collocations
  • direct object
  • indirect object
  • object of the preposition
  • object pronoun
Synonyms
  • complement

    wider grammatical term; not always equal to object

  • patient

    linguistics jargon for the affected role

Antonyms
  • subject

    the doer of the action, not the receiver

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1 (a physical thing) by context — this sense appears almost only in grammar lessons or linguistics, alongside terms like 'subject', 'verb', 'direct', 'indirect'.

Common Mistakes

In "The dog runs", "runs" is the object.
In "The dog runs", there is no object; "runs" is the verb.
intransitive verbs take no object.

3. what someone hopes to reach or bring about by doing something — the result they

3.nounC1
Definition

what someone hopes to reach or bring about by doing something — the result they have in mind when they take action; close in meaning to 'aim' or 'goal'.

Example

The object of the workshop is to help new teachers plan a balanced lesson.

the object of [activity] + to-infinitive

Mr Daley travelled to Geneva with the object of meeting two old clients.

with the object of + -ing

Common collocations
  • the object of the exercise
  • main object
  • sole object
  • with the object of
Synonyms
  • aim

    neutral and more common in everyday English

  • goal

    broader; often used for long-term targets

  • objective

    formal; common in business and policy writing

  • purpose

    stresses the reason behind an action

Grammar Patterns

the object of [activity]

with the object of doing sth

Usage Note

Slightly formal; in everyday speech, 'aim', 'goal' or 'point' is more common. Often used in fixed phrases such as 'the object of the exercise' meaning the real reason behind doing something.

Common Mistakes

My object is becoming a doctor.
My object is to become a doctor.' / 'My aim is to become a doctor.
pair 'object' with a to-infinitive, not -ing.

4. the outcome that is meant to come out of an activity — the success people are wo

4.nounC1
Definition

the outcome that is meant to come out of an activity — the success people are working towards rather than the broader reason for trying.

Example

A clean kitchen, not a fancy meal, was the object of Saturday's cooking class.

names the desired outcome of an activity

The object of the rescue drill is a safe evacuation in under three minutes.

Common collocations
  • the object of the activity
  • the object of the lesson
  • main object
Synonyms
  • outcome

    neutral; the result, whether wanted or not

  • target

    a specific level or number to reach

  • end

    formal; the result one is working towards

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 3 by focus: sense 3 (AIM) names the reason for acting; this sense names the concrete result an activity is meant to produce. The two often overlap and can be hard to tell apart.

5. whoever or whatever others aim a strong feeling, attention, or action at — for e

5.nounC1
Definition

whoever or whatever others aim a strong feeling, attention, or action at — for example, the person someone is in love with, or the topic a piece of research is centred on.

Example

After her speech, Lin became the object of admiration in the whole faculty.

the object of admiration

Old coins from the Tang dynasty were the object of Professor Hsu's research for many years.

the object of [academic] research

Common collocations
  • object of admiration
  • object of desire
  • object of pity
  • object of ridicule
  • object of study
Synonyms
  • target

    often suggests something negative such as criticism or attack

  • focus

    neutral; what attention is centred on

  • subject

    what something is about, especially a study or article

Grammar Patterns

the object of [emotion / attention]

Usage Note

Subject is usually a person or thing that does NOT act, but instead receives the feeling or attention. Frequent in the frame 'the object of [emotion noun]' — admiration, desire, pity, ridicule, study.

Common Mistakes

She is the object who I love.
She is the object of my love.
use the 'object of + noun' frame, not a relative clause.
Idioms

money is no object

idiom

used to say that the cost does not matter, because there is enough money available to pay for whatever is needed.

When choosing a wedding venue, money was no object for the Wang family.

Pick any guitar in the shop, Marcus told his son — tonight money is no object.

the object of the exercise

idiom

the real reason for doing an activity, especially one that may look strange or pointless from the outside.

Walking blindfolded through the room sounds silly, but trust is the object of the exercise.

The object of the exercise is to learn each teammate's name before lunch.

object — verb

IPA/əbˈdʒekt/
KK[əbdʒˈɛkt]IPA/əbˈdʒekt/

object — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words name something that is not a person or animal, but they differ in tone and use. 'Thing' is the everyday spoken choice when the speaker either does not know or does not care about the precise name ('What is that thing on the floor?'). 'Object' sounds more careful and slightly technical, and is common in writing about museums, science, or safety, often with adjectives like 'sharp' or 'foreign'. 'Item' fits well in lists, shopping receipts, and inventories, where each piece is one of many. 'Article' has a slightly formal feel and is common in legal, journalistic, or commercial contexts, as in 'a stolen article of clothing'. So at home you might point at a 'thing' on the table; in a museum guide it becomes a rare 'object'; on a receipt it is an 'item'; and in a court report it can be an 'article'.

object ↗item ↗thing ↗article ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • foreign object
  • sharp object
  • object of desire
  • object of study
  • object of ridicule
  • object code
  • object file
  • direct object
  • indirect object

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

  • object to
  • object of
  • with the object of
  • object on the grounds of

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

English took 'object' from Latin in the late 14th century, through Old French. The Latin source is 'obiectum', literally 'a thing thrown or placed before' (from 'ob-' meaning 'in front of' plus 'iacere' 'to throw'). Early use referred to whatever was set before the mind or senses for thought or perception, which is why the same word later covered both physical things and the goals or focuses of thought. The verb 'to object', meaning 'to put forward as a counter-argument', came into English around the same time and kept the original idea of 'placing something in the way' — in this case a contrary opinion. The grammatical sense (the receiver of a verb's action) developed in the 16th century from medieval Latin grammar writing.