direct object

noun

: a word or phrase denoting the receiver of the action of a verb

Example Sentences

“Me” in “He likes me” is a direct object. In the sentence “They built a house for her,” the direct object is “house” and the indirect object is “her.”

Recent Examples on the Web Meanwhile, a two-year-old child tested alongside Kanzi quickly intuits that two nouns can make up a noun phrase, tucked as a direct object into a verb phrase, which in turn is part of a sentence.

The Economist, 22 Aug. 2019 Who is used for subjects, whom for objects, including direct objects such as that of the verb to fire.

The Economist, 1 Mar. 2018 In Steve kicked John, Steve is the subject and John is the direct object.

The Economist, 24 May 2018 Both distinguish between an animate direct object and an inanimate one.

The Economist, 1 Feb. 2018 Four different cases in Old English tell you whether a word is a subject, direct object, indirect object or possessor.

The Economist, 1 Mar. 2018 But putting a comma between a verb and its direct object is not a common mistake.

The Economist, 21 Sep. 2017 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'direct object.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.