indirect object: Meaning and Definition of

in'direct ob'ject

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a word or group of words representing the person or thing with reference to which the action of a verb is performed, in English generally coming between the verb and the direct object and paraphrasable as the object of a preposition, usually to or for, following the direct object, as the boy in He gave the boy a book.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.