1
as in victim
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in joke
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 goal
something that one hopes or intends to accomplish
our target is to raise $100,000 for a new playground by August
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to taunt
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of target
Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 6 June 2026
Bahrain’s General Command said Iran fired three ballistic missiles and several drones, which were successfully shot down by the Bahrain Defence Force before reaching their targets.
—Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2026
Jack O'Connor, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2026
The insurgents frequently target security forces, government installations and civilians in the province and elsewhere in the country.
—Abdul Sattar, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for target
Noun
To make these insights immediately actionable, the PPPL team developed a basic formula to predict plasma magnetization based on specific laser and target variables.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 6 June 2026
Bahrain’s General Command said Iran fired three ballistic missiles and several drones, which were successfully shot down by the Bahrain Defence Force before reaching their targets.
—Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2026
Verb
The owner of a large plant distributor and nursery company, who asked not to be identified for fear that ICE would target the business, said Operation Midway Blitz led to fewer landscaping jobs and declining store traffic.
—Jack O'Connor, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2026
The insurgents frequently target security forces, government installations and civilians in the province and elsewhere in the country.
—Abdul Sattar, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for target
Recent Examples of Synonyms for target
Noun
-
Newsom’s office said Thursday that the state is providing assistance to victims, family members and witnesses of the mosque shooting.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
-
The bodies of two people were found earlier this week, before crews recovered the remains of another six victims on Thursday, May 28, Longview fire chief Brad Hannig said in a press conference later that day.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
And yet, Chisholm’s chat with Fallon sparked some jokes and blowback after the host asked the colorful character what the Yankees’ ultimate goal is this season.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
4 June 2026
-
The majority of the jokes come off as more asserted than delighted.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
4 June 2026
Noun
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Their goal is to preserve the intimate essence of Cap Rocat for its guests.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
Best of luck accomplishing your goals today, and, of course, do keep in touch.—
Ed Silverman,
STAT,
1 June 2026
Verb
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The neighbor, who lived across the hall from Valentine, said the suspect routinely taunted her from inside her apartment, uttering her insults through the microphone of a doorbell camera.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
3 June 2026
-
Fans booed as Jade Cargill took control early, taunting Rhea with pushups.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Noun
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Finally, in the Oaxacan field test, the team showed that predatory wasps use the airborne distress signals to find their prey, but the relative importance of direct leaf defenses versus this indirect wasp recruitment isn’t clear.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2026
-
Gay men were portrayed as both predators and prey, feeding into dangerous stereotypes at a time when the community was fighting for survival.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
Predicting the future is a fool’s game.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
-
But don't let his calm demeanor fool you.—
Joelle Goldstein,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
From Idaho legislators to federal lawmakers So far failing to hit pay dirt with legislation in Idaho, Gleason and his family have shifted to pursuing a federal law with similar aims.—
Kevin Fixler
June 4,
Idaho Statesman,
4 June 2026
-
The exchange’s aim is to attract international capital to the island.—
Sarah Moreno
June 4,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Pratt alleged that volunteers have been bullied, harassed, and have been trying to get Bass’s attention.—
Britta Miller,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2026
-
In a press release last September, the DOJ announced that a 68-year-old Santa Monica man, Gregory John Curcio, was charged with doxing and harassing an ICE lawyer.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Target.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/target. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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