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
Michael Bloom, CNBC, 28 Feb. 2026
During his speech Friday, Parlow highlighted the strength of the school’s various fundraising efforts, including the newest Inspire Campaign, which has raised $480 million in the past three years — just $20 million shy of an ambitious target of $500 million by 2028.
—Claire Wang, Oc Register, 28 Feb. 2026
Cate Charron, IndyStar, 22 Feb. 2026
Islamabad, at the time, conducted strikes deep inside Afghanistan to target militant hideouts.
—Munir Ahmed, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for target
Noun
Morgan Stanley recently raised Cummins’ price target to $675 per share from $600 and said the stock remains a top pick.
—Michael Bloom, CNBC, 28 Feb. 2026
During his speech Friday, Parlow highlighted the strength of the school’s various fundraising efforts, including the newest Inspire Campaign, which has raised $480 million in the past three years — just $20 million shy of an ambitious target of $500 million by 2028.
—Claire Wang, Oc Register, 28 Feb. 2026
Verb
More than ever, professors don't want to go on the record in fear that the state or their university would target them, potentially through this law.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 22 Feb. 2026
Islamabad, at the time, conducted strikes deep inside Afghanistan to target militant hideouts.
—Munir Ahmed, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for target
Recent Examples of Synonyms for target
Noun
-
Rescuers continued to search for victims on the third day since the catastrophe began late Monday, causing floods, landslides, collapsed houses and shuttered schools.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Children ages 3 and younger were most often the victims of fatal child abuse in Illinois between 2015 and 2022, according to a sobering new report out of Northwestern University.—
Lisa Schencker,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Gwen then cracks a joke about firing Del Rio's character.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Feb. 2026
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There is a drawing of a child crouched on a ride-on suitcase, notes for a joke Fleming posted online in January.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Name-calling is juvenile, unhelpful in achieving one's goals, and is a bad example to especially young people.—
Cal Thomas,
Arkansas Online,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Terminators programmed to score goals.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The new Ghostface killers use deepfake videos to taunt Neve Campbell's Sidney Evans (formerly Prescott), using faces from her traumatic past.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Feb. 2026
-
That chant is often used to taunt security forces and plainclothes agents like the Basij, the all-volunteer arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guard who maintain a presence on university campuses through student groups.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
For those who have fallen prey to swapping out their decor as the trends come and go, this return to a style of yesteryear can’t come soon enough.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Nile monitors are carnivores that actively hunt vertebrate prey.—
Sergio Candido,
Miami Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Don’t let the term ‘first flat’ fool you—Diana’s early digs were anything but shabby.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
23 Feb. 2026
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Arguing with the guru, it was said, was a fool’s response, like kicking gold.—
Blair Glaser,
Fortune,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The everyday was the aim for the Belgian designer, whose pragmatic first collection returned Marni to its house codes, established under founder Consuelo Castiglioni.—
Lucy Maguire,
Vogue,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Fit again, though, his aim is to impress for Everton and put himself back on Tuchel’s radar.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The internet trolls livestream videos of themselves appearing to harass everyday New Yorkers and often finding themselves being thrown out of apartment buildings, bodegas and other establishments.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
1 Mar. 2026
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The defendants did not know who Huitzilin was, or have any intention of identifying his home address or harassing him.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Target.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/target. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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