In physics, a physical body or physical object (sometimes simply called a body or object) is a collection of masses, taken to be one. For example, a cricket ball can be considered an object but the ball also consists of many particles (pieces of matter).

In philosophy; particularly the branch of metaphysics called ontology which is the study of existence; a physical object is an object which exists at a particular time and place, as contrasted with abstract objects such as mathematical objects which do not exist at any particular time or place.

The common conception of physical objects includes that they have extension in the physical world, although there do exist theories of quantum physics and cosmology which may challenge this.