direct object

noun

1. a word or group of words representing the person or thing upon which the action of a verb is performed or toward which it is directed: in English, generally coming after the verb, without a preposition. In He saw it the pronoun it is the direct object of saw.

direct object

noun

1. grammar a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase whose referent receives the direct action of a verb. For example, a book is the direct object in the sentence They bought Anne a book Compare indirect object

direct object

1. A noun , pronoun , or group of words serving as the receiving end of an action, such as the ball in “Tabitha hit the ball.” A direct object can be a word, phrase , or clause : “Sam chose Rusty to play shortstop”; “I will never understand why he came home .” ( Compare indirect object .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of direct object¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

In Mr. DeSantis’s parlance, the verb does not always require a direct object.

From New York Times

According to Solomon, "at one point in his email, he bold-faced a single sentence for emphasis: 'Cybersecurity was never the direct object of any of our communications,'" in reference to Papadopoulos.

From Salon

The word applied both to females in the singular and to any group in the plural when a direct object was needed in a sentence.

From Washington Post

The instructor on the big-screen monitor, broadcasting from John A. Logan Community College, 35 miles away, nods and begins her Spanish 102 lesson, diagramming sentences with action verbs and direct object pronouns.

From Washington Times

The syntax forces us to consider “me” also as the direct object: the “little dog” feels like a self-portrait.

From The New Yorker