1
as in victims
a person or thing that is the object of abuse, criticism, or ridicule
the hapless vice president quickly became the favorite target of late-night comedians
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in jokes
a person or thing that is made fun of
a badly made TV commercial that became the target of lots of jokes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in goals
something that one hopes or intends to accomplish
our target is to raise $100,000 for a new playground by August
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of targets
Kate Perez, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
Other targets, according to a post on X, included command centers, posts of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, air defense systems, ballistic missile sites, navy ships and submarines as well as anti-ship missiles sites, drone manufacturing and other weapon production facilities.
—Npr Staff, NPR, 2 Apr. 2026
These areas remain central in the new standard, which also strengthens the existing requirement of farmers to demonstrate continuous improvement by ensuring a greater focus on regenerative agriculture when setting annual targets.
—Jennifer Bringle, Footwear News, 2 Apr. 2026
The bill targets countries designated as foreign adversaries, including Communist China, according to the lawmakers.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Mark Makela | Reuters Starbucks will award baristas and shift supervisors quarterly bonuses of $300 if their stores hit certain targets to aid the coffee chain’s turnaround efforts, the company said Thursday.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026
Modern critical infrastructure does not only involve the obvious big targets like power plants or water utilities.
—William Akoto, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2026
Nacua has been one of Stafford’s top targets throughout his career.
—Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Out of the states Harris will visit, only North Carolina and Georgia are considered viable targets for any Democratic presidential candidate.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026
Noun
Consumers have seen prices jump by a $1 at the pump over the month, while the United States, Israel and Iran enter a new phase in the ongoing war, in which oil and gas have become key targets for both sides.
—Kate Perez, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
Other targets, according to a post on X, included command centers, posts of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, air defense systems, ballistic missile sites, navy ships and submarines as well as anti-ship missiles sites, drone manufacturing and other weapon production facilities.
—Npr Staff, NPR, 2 Apr. 2026
These areas remain central in the new standard, which also strengthens the existing requirement of farmers to demonstrate continuous improvement by ensuring a greater focus on regenerative agriculture when setting annual targets.
—Jennifer Bringle, Footwear News, 2 Apr. 2026
The bill targets countries designated as foreign adversaries, including Communist China, according to the lawmakers.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Mark Makela | Reuters Starbucks will award baristas and shift supervisors quarterly bonuses of $300 if their stores hit certain targets to aid the coffee chain’s turnaround efforts, the company said Thursday.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026
Modern critical infrastructure does not only involve the obvious big targets like power plants or water utilities.
—William Akoto, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2026
Nacua has been one of Stafford’s top targets throughout his career.
—Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Out of the states Harris will visit, only North Carolina and Georgia are considered viable targets for any Democratic presidential candidate.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for targets
Noun
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Some of the victims had been wearing backpacks equipped with airbags that can help keep people on the surface of an avalanche, but had not pulled the cords to deploy the bags, the report said.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Peter Barnum, one of the people on shore who raced to the rescue, described the exhaustion of one of the victims, the father.—
Ted Scouten,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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TikTok Reacts Viewers flooded the comments with theories and jokes.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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On social media, make jokes that don’t follow logic or build toward a punch line, but rather rely on jump cuts and endless captions.—
Emily Menez,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Capricorn December 22 – January 19 By afternoon, your focus sharpens on goals.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2026
-
December 22 – January 19 By afternoon, your focus sharpens on goals.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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So much for Anthropic's Super Bowl taunts.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
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In a 30-second clip, Adams is seen leaving a jet bridge while a woman who is walking ahead of him seemingly taunts Adams.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This year, the unusually warm weather in March, plant abundance and a healthy amount of prey were early signals to rattlesnakes to begin their activity.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Noise could disrupt the whales’ foraging behavior, while increased global warming — tied to the burning of fossil fuels, including oil and gas — could change where their prey fish live, Kiszka said.—
Tammy Webber,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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McGinn sets high standards in training and during games and does not suffer fools.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Antisemitism is the socialism of fools, right?—
Suzanne Schneider,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The robotic characters break free from their restaurant resting place to cause chaos in town, while the villainous Marionette pops up to possess victims for her own nefarious purposes.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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Trump has not only stolen top-secret government files, apparently for business purposes but used his office to harass and investigate his political targets.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Whereas fast fashion baits consumers with poorly made clothing available for a limited time, Jendue takes a more elevated approach with high quality denim from Turkey.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
30 Mar. 2026
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Setting traps and baits eradicates or, at least, discourages these pests from tunneling through your garden and nibbling roots to damage perennials and shrubs.—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Targets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/targets. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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