direct object

noun

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.

Origin of direct object

First recorded in 1900–05

Words nearby direct object

direct mail, direct marketing, direct memory access, direct method, direct nuclear division, direct object, direct ophthalmoscope, direct oxidase, direct percussion, direct positive, direct primary

British Dictionary definitions for direct object

direct object

noun

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

Cultural definitions for direct object

direct object

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.)