O

Object

noun

1. a material thing that can be seen and touched: he was dragging a large object small objects such as shells

Philosophy a thing external to the thinking mind or subject.

2. a person or thing to which a specified action or feeling is directed: disease became the object of investigation he hated being the object of public attention

a goal or purpose: the Institute was opened with the object of promoting scientific study

3. Grammar a noun or noun phrase governed by an active transitive verb or by a preposition: in Gaelic the word order is verb, subject, object

4. Computing a data construct that provides a description of anything known to a computer (such as a processor or a piece of code) and defines its method of operation: the interface treats most items, including cells, graphs, and buttons, as objects

verb

 [reporting verb]

say something to express one’s disapproval of or disagreement with something: [no object]: residents object to the volume of traffic [with clause]: the boy’s father objected that the police had arrested him unlawfully [with direct speech]: ‘It doesn’t seem natural,’ she objected

[with object] archaic cite as a reason against something: Bryant objects this very circumstance to the authenticity of the Iliad

Phrases

no object

not influencing or restricting choices or decisions: a tycoon for whom money is no object

the object of the exercise

the main purpose of an activity: the object of the exercise was to recover stolen property

object of virtu

see virtu.

Derivatives

objectless

adjective

objector

noun

Origin:

late Middle English: from medieval Latin objectum 'thing presented to the mind', neuter past participle (used as a noun) of Latin obicere, from ob-'in the way of' + jacere 'to throw'; the verb may also partly represent the Latin frequentative objectare

Grammar

In a statement the object: normally comes after the verb is governed by the verb refers to a person, place, thing, or idea that is different from the subject often refers to a person, place, thing, or idea that is acted on or affected by the subject can be a noun, a pronoun, a noun phrase, or a noun clause:See also indirect object.