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
David Brennan, ABC News, 2 May 2026
Proof is his buzzy resuscitation in this 7th outing where Sydney Prescott’s daughter becomes the target.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 2 May 2026
Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
Authorities have not identified a motive or target in the shooting at the Washington Hilton, where Trump and multiple Cabinet officials were attending the White House correspondents’ dinner Saturday evening.
—Isaac Arnsdorf, Washington Post, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for target
Noun
Within the first four months of this year, the figures are already approaching the record annual highs set across 2025, during which Romania reported nine airspace violations, the discovery of fragments 16 times, 21 air policing missions and 28 attacks on Ukrainian targets close to Romania.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 2 May 2026
Proof is his buzzy resuscitation in this 7th outing where Sydney Prescott’s daughter becomes the target.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 2 May 2026
Verb
Early-season trade possibilities There are a couple of bats the Red Sox could target to give their offense a jolt.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
Authorities have not identified a motive or target in the shooting at the Washington Hilton, where Trump and multiple Cabinet officials were attending the White House correspondents’ dinner Saturday evening.
—Isaac Arnsdorf, Washington Post, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for target
Recent Examples of Synonyms for target
Noun
-
An Urban Pathways spokeswoman expressed condolences to the victims and their families in a statement.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
-
Officials said that after Cooper’s arrest, the first victim, a runaway, was crying hysterically and denied any involvement in prostitution.—
Samantha Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
Noun
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As the Ado Annie-like Betsy, a horny teen-ager whose father owns a shotgun, Kurtz is playing a character who should be, and kind of is, a one-joke punch line.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
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Complaints about hospital food are certainly not new, and Jell-O and fruit juice are often the butt of related jokes.—
Stephanie Armour,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Hitting the ball the other way was one of Ohtani’s goals.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
5 May 2026
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The project brings together nearly 60 students from a wide range of majors, from engineering to communications, all working toward a common goal.—
Jamal Goss,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
Verb
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For a brief moment, there was a new 48-hour countdown taunting us on Taylor Swift’s website.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
Newsom taunts Trump with multiple jabs as Florida redistricting fight ramps up.—
,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Their diet varies with location and season, depending on what prey is available.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
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Because opossums are one of the most common prey species for Burmese pythons, scientists expect that some of the collared animals will eventually be eaten by the snakes, effectively turning the opossums into indirect tracking devices.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Post-draft outlook Don’t let the draft-weekend optimism fool you — the Cardinals have a long road ahead.—
Doug Haller,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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There is an old saying that people who represent themselves in court effectively have a fool for a lawyer.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, on Wednesday evening, Carr posted a riposte to a commenter on X who took aim at the FCC chief.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
30 Apr. 2026
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While other legislatures have similarly ambitious aims — the EU and UK both plan to reach net zero by 2050, which functionally requires ending fossil fuels.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Gloria said her ex-boyfriend had been following and harassing her.—
Paul LaRosa,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
-
Is this a reasonable prosecution in response to Morens’s apparent efforts to avoid public-records laws, or an excuse to harass scientists involved in the 2020 COVID response—or both?—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Target.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/target. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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