diff --git a/src/lib/core/datetime/native-date-adapter.ts b/src/lib/core/datetime/native-date-adapter.ts
index 4b9b9af4624..cd0a1082e43 100644
--- a/src/lib/core/datetime/native-date-adapter.ts
+++ b/src/lib/core/datetime/native-date-adapter.ts
@@ -7,10 +7,8 @@
  */
 
 import {Inject, Injectable, Optional} from '@angular/core';
-import {extendObject} from '../util/object-extend';
 import {DateAdapter, MAT_DATE_LOCALE} from './date-adapter';
 
-
 // TODO(mmalerba): Remove when we no longer support safari 9.
 /** Whether the browser supports the Intl API. */
 const SUPPORTS_INTL_API = typeof Intl != 'undefined';
@@ -186,7 +184,7 @@ export class NativeDateAdapter extends DateAdapter<Date> {
         date = new Date(Date.UTC(
             date.getFullYear(), date.getMonth(), date.getDate(), date.getHours(),
             date.getMinutes(), date.getSeconds(), date.getMilliseconds()));
-        displayFormat = extendObject({}, displayFormat, {timeZone: 'utc'});
+        displayFormat = {...displayFormat, timeZone: 'utc'};
       }
       let dtf = new Intl.DateTimeFormat(this.locale, displayFormat);
       return this._stripDirectionalityCharacters(dtf.format(date));
diff --git a/src/lib/core/public-api.ts b/src/lib/core/public-api.ts
index 9e4fdd29cf8..688cf9199f0 100644
--- a/src/lib/core/public-api.ts
+++ b/src/lib/core/public-api.ts
@@ -18,8 +18,6 @@ export * from './placeholder/placeholder-options';
 export * from './ripple/index';
 export * from './selection/index';
 export * from './style/index';
-export * from './util/object-extend';
-
 
 // TODO: don't have this
 export * from './testing/month-constants';
diff --git a/src/lib/core/util/object-extend.spec.ts b/src/lib/core/util/object-extend.spec.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 1cb0b329b08..00000000000
--- a/src/lib/core/util/object-extend.spec.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,50 +0,0 @@
-import {extendObject} from './object-extend';
-
-
-describe('extendObject', () => {
-  it('should extend an object', () => {
-    let extended = extendObject({}, {x: 123});
-
-    expect(extended).toEqual({x: 123});
-  });
-
-  it('should overwrite existing properties', () => {
-    let extended = extendObject({x: 456}, {x: 123});
-
-    expect(extended).toEqual({x: 123});
-  });
-
-  it('should add additional properties', () => {
-    let extended = extendObject({x: 456}, {y: 123});
-
-    expect(extended).toEqual({x: 456, y: 123});
-  });
-
-  it('should extend from multiple sources', () => {
-    let extended = extendObject({}, {x: 123}, {y: 456});
-
-    expect(extended).toEqual({x: 123, y: 456});
-  });
-
-  it('should overwrite properties from the later source', () => {
-    let extended = extendObject({}, {x: 123}, {x: 456});
-
-    expect(extended).toEqual({x: 456});
-  });
-
-  it('should treat null and undefined sources as empty objects', () => {
-    let extended = extendObject({}, null, {x: 123}, undefined, {y: 456});
-
-    expect(extended).toEqual({x: 123, y: 456});
-  });
-
-  it('should throw an error when the dest object is null', () => {
-    expect(() => extendObject(null, {x: 123}))
-        .toThrowError('Cannot convert undefined or null to object');
-  });
-
-  it('should throw an error when the dest object is undefined', () => {
-    expect(() => extendObject(undefined, {x: 123}))
-        .toThrowError('Cannot convert undefined or null to object');
-  });
-});
diff --git a/src/lib/core/util/object-extend.ts b/src/lib/core/util/object-extend.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index aeb48f9fdd8..00000000000
--- a/src/lib/core/util/object-extend.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,32 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @license
- * Copyright Google LLC All Rights Reserved.
- *
- * Use of this source code is governed by an MIT-style license that can be
- * found in the LICENSE file at https://angular.io/license
- */
-
-/**
- * Extends an object with the *enumerable* and *own* properties of one or more source objects,
- * similar to Object.assign.
- *
- * @param dest The object which will have properties copied to it.
- * @param sources The source objects from which properties will be copied.
- */
-export function extendObject(dest: any, ...sources: any[]): any {
-  if (dest == null) {
-    throw TypeError('Cannot convert undefined or null to object');
-  }
-
-  for (let source of sources) {
-    if (source != null) {
-      for (let key in source) {
-        if (source.hasOwnProperty(key)) {
-          dest[key] = source[key];
-        }
-      }
-    }
-  }
-
-  return dest;
-}
diff --git a/src/lib/dialog/dialog.ts b/src/lib/dialog/dialog.ts
index 1dc4cbd9b48..ab9c92fe46c 100644
--- a/src/lib/dialog/dialog.ts
+++ b/src/lib/dialog/dialog.ts
@@ -6,17 +6,16 @@
  * found in the LICENSE file at https://angular.io/license
  */
 
+import {Directionality} from '@angular/cdk/bidi';
 import {ESCAPE} from '@angular/cdk/keycodes';
 import {
   BlockScrollStrategy,
   Overlay,
-  OverlayRef,
   OverlayConfig,
+  OverlayRef,
   ScrollStrategy,
 } from '@angular/cdk/overlay';
 import {ComponentPortal, ComponentType, PortalInjector, TemplatePortal} from '@angular/cdk/portal';
-import {filter} from 'rxjs/operators/filter';
-import {startWith} from 'rxjs/operators/startWith';
 import {Location} from '@angular/common';
 import {
   ComponentRef,
@@ -28,15 +27,15 @@ import {
   SkipSelf,
   TemplateRef,
 } from '@angular/core';
-import {extendObject} from '@angular/material/core';
-import {Directionality} from '@angular/cdk/bidi';
 import {Observable} from 'rxjs/Observable';
 import {defer} from 'rxjs/observable/defer';
+import {of as observableOf} from 'rxjs/observable/of';
+import {filter} from 'rxjs/operators/filter';
+import {startWith} from 'rxjs/operators/startWith';
 import {Subject} from 'rxjs/Subject';
 import {MatDialogConfig} from './dialog-config';
 import {MatDialogContainer} from './dialog-container';
 import {MatDialogRef} from './dialog-ref';
-import {of as observableOf} from 'rxjs/observable/of';
 
 
 export const MAT_DIALOG_DATA = new InjectionToken<any>('MatDialogData');
@@ -313,5 +312,5 @@ export class MatDialog {
  * @returns The new configuration object.
  */
 function _applyConfigDefaults(config?: MatDialogConfig): MatDialogConfig {
-  return extendObject(new MatDialogConfig(), config);
+  return {...new MatDialogConfig(), ...config};
 }
diff --git a/src/lib/snack-bar/snack-bar.ts b/src/lib/snack-bar/snack-bar.ts
index f321d5026c8..3ac13aa8a11 100644
--- a/src/lib/snack-bar/snack-bar.ts
+++ b/src/lib/snack-bar/snack-bar.ts
@@ -7,17 +7,16 @@
  */
 
 import {LiveAnnouncer} from '@angular/cdk/a11y';
+import {BreakpointObserver, Breakpoints} from '@angular/cdk/layout';
 import {Overlay, OverlayConfig, OverlayRef} from '@angular/cdk/overlay';
 import {ComponentPortal, ComponentType, PortalInjector} from '@angular/cdk/portal';
 import {ComponentRef, Injectable, Injector, Optional, SkipSelf} from '@angular/core';
-import {extendObject} from '@angular/material/core';
+import {first} from 'rxjs/operators/first';
+import {takeUntil} from 'rxjs/operators/takeUntil';
 import {SimpleSnackBar} from './simple-snack-bar';
 import {MAT_SNACK_BAR_DATA, MatSnackBarConfig} from './snack-bar-config';
 import {MatSnackBarContainer} from './snack-bar-container';
 import {MatSnackBarRef} from './snack-bar-ref';
-import {BreakpointObserver, Breakpoints} from '@angular/cdk/layout';
-import {takeUntil} from 'rxjs/operators/takeUntil';
-import {first} from 'rxjs/operators/first';
 
 
 /**
@@ -224,5 +223,5 @@ export class MatSnackBar {
  * @returns The new configuration object with defaults applied.
  */
 function _applyConfigDefaults(config?: MatSnackBarConfig): MatSnackBarConfig {
-  return extendObject(new MatSnackBarConfig(), config);
+  return {...new MatSnackBarConfig(), ...config};
 }
diff --git a/tslint.json b/tslint.json
index 6361be3d338..d9d8c2440fa 100644
--- a/tslint.json
+++ b/tslint.json
@@ -75,7 +75,8 @@
       ["fit"],
       ["fdescribe"],
       ["xit"],
-      ["xdescribe"]
+      ["xdescribe"],
+      {"name": "Object.assign", "message": "Use the spread operator instead."}
     ],
     // Disallows importing the whole RxJS library. Submodules can be still imported.
     "import-blacklist": [true, "rxjs", "rxjs/operators"],