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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of target
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2026
Changes in the performance or financial condition of either the target or acquiror, as well as changes in the industry or financing landscapes, could jeopardize these financing arrangements.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026
CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
Pivot team officers use data to proactively target crime hot spots across the city.
—David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for target
Noun
The company said the Series F funding round had exceeded a $15B target, with investors including Valor Equity Partners, Stepstone Group, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Qatar Investment Authority, MGX and Baron Capital Group, along with previous investors Nvidia and Cisco Investments.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2026
Changes in the performance or financial condition of either the target or acquiror, as well as changes in the industry or financing landscapes, could jeopardize these financing arrangements.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is a major drug smuggling hub despite having some of the strictest drug laws in the world, in part because international drug syndicates target its young population.
—CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
Pivot team officers use data to proactively target crime hot spots across the city.
—David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for target
Recent Examples of Synonyms for target
Noun
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The parents of the victims said the boys met Busfield on the set of the Fox series, The Cleaning Lady, after Busfield joined as a director in season 2, according to the arrest warrant.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Orange County has appropriated nearly $500 million to cover possible payouts to victims of the fire, and as of August had paid more than $39 million in settlements so far.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
If that means being the frequent butt of jokes for his age, that's fine, too.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Try to ski with a friend, who might distract me with a story or a joke.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Join Palmer in crushing New Year’s fitness goals with this nifty Pilates set that comes with a ring, mini ball, and four resistance bands.—
Averi Baudler,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Giving love to local venues For McLaughlin and Arthurs, the goal was always to bring the film to venues around the Carolinas as a way to promote those spaces, like The Milestone, that were filled with local music history.—
Zach Dennis,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Lazzaro argued in court the mall victim was the aggressor and had taunted Hernandez over his history as a government informant, saying his reputation as a snitch would put him in grave danger back in prison.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The two come face-to-face at the end of the episode, during which Callahan taunts Kyle over his wife's murder.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Before a victim falls prey to a scam, they are often duped in a quick, emotional, panic-inducing way.—
Caroline Melear,
Oc Register,
13 Jan. 2026
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Advertisement The show also falls prey to a few unfortunate streaming-era trends, from a penultimate flashback episode that delays the payoff of a cliffhanger by filling in backstory of questionable utility, to a scantness of plot that makes the whole short season feel like an overgrown prologue.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Do not let Fernando Mendoza’s earnestness fool you.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
-
But telling Porsha something in confidence is a fool’s errand.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The aim is to dig into general themes rather than specific transfers that are currently ongoing to give a broad picture of as many elements as possible.—
Adam Leventhal,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Nasa’s aim was to return astronauts to the Moon and ultimately establish a permanent lunar base.—
The Week,
TheWeek,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Some might have expected Declan Rice alone to win those headers or harass the opposition in that manner, but the partnership between these two is about more than just Zubimendi allowing the England midfielder to burst into goalscoring areas.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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Student and faculty critics also accused the university of being too slow to respond to complaints about a rising star astrophysicist, Christian Ott, accused or harassing and discriminating against female graduate students as early as 2012.—
Jaweed Kaleem,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Target.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/target. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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