soft target

noun

: a target that can be attacked easily because it does not have military defenses
hospitals, schools, and other soft targets
—often used figuratively
elderly people who are a soft target for criminals

Examples of soft target in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Security experts warn of soft target vulnerabilities and intelligence gaps as federal agencies prepare to secure 78 matches across 11 cities. — Simon Chadwick, Forbes.com, 21 May 2026 By any measure, Kirwan was a soft target. — Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026 Iran’s leadership was a soft target. — Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2026 Freeman has a soft target in mind of playing four more years, taking him to his 40th birthday. — Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 19 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for soft target

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Soft target.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soft%20target. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!