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
Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 11 Apr. 2026
The delay comes as a fragile two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran holds for now, but remains under strain, as Israel continues to hit Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
—Dalia Abdelwahab, CNN Money, 11 Apr. 2026
CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
Here are some players Gates and his staff can target come Tuesday to complement the historic freshman class coming to Columbia next season.
—Joseph Pastilha, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for target
Noun
Treadway stands out amongst deep receivers group One of several carryovers from Toledo, Treadway is a 6-foot-3, 193-pound rising sophomore who looked comfortable in every situation and saw a high volume of targets on Saturday.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 11 Apr. 2026
The delay comes as a fragile two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran holds for now, but remains under strain, as Israel continues to hit Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
—Dalia Abdelwahab, CNN Money, 11 Apr. 2026
Verb
And here in the United States, people have not quite yet seen inflation going down to target.
—CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
Here are some players Gates and his staff can target come Tuesday to complement the historic freshman class coming to Columbia next season.
—Joseph Pastilha, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for target
Recent Examples of Synonyms for target
Noun
-
Nataliia had gone to the bus station, where soldiers were spraying foam to contain the nuclear fallout, and to the hospital, where men in white coats were unloading victims on stretchers from the backs of ambulances.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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At the time, Esperanza-Pacheco was working as a pastor at God’s Lighthouse of Truth in Richmond, where the victim and her family were members and had developed a friendship with him.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
These headwinds, together with Spirit’s ongoing reputational challenges like being the target of jokes by late-night hosts and prominent press coverage of its two brushes with bankruptcy, likely account for Spirit’s satisfaction decline.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
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As anachronisms constantly threaten to puncture the illusion, the cast stays wry, nimble and self-conscious in order to locate plot points and jokes that reinforce the golden-age radio setting, scribbling notes and introducing characters that propel them through ludicrous narrative arcs.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
On Monday, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung reaffirmed plans to increase bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030, a goal that was first announced in 2018.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
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When two teams are tied on points in La Liga, league position is decided by their head-to-head record rather than goal difference.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Then, guards who worked for the contractor Critical Response Strategies began taunting detainees, threatening to enter the cage where immigrants were held.—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
11 Apr. 2026
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That strategy, known as exon skipping, would taunt Debra for two decades, always promising a therapy just out of reach.—
Jason Mast,
STAT,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Pets resemble natural prey to alligators.—
Mark Price
April 22,
Charlotte Observer,
22 Apr. 2026
-
At other times, as was the case in the display photographed, there is no prey animal in sight, and the dance seems simply to be an expression of exuberance.—
PhotoVogue,
Vogue,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Looking for trends after 20-something games is a fool’s errand, of course.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
-
There was always a comedian on somebody’s album doing a skit or some funny one-liners or in the video acting a fool.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Sacking him is an embarrassment for all concerned, but 106 days after his appointment, Chelsea’s executives felt a change was needed to give the club the best possible chance of achieving their remaining aims for the season.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
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With no imminent threat of a return to a punishing bombing campaign, Iran is achieving its central war aim of driving up the price of oil, and with it pressuring Trump to accede to some of its demands.—
Nic Robertson,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The puck went behind the net, and Lehkonen was there to harass Kings defenseman Drew Doughty’s attempt to rim the puck out of danger.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
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Other allegations against Uber drivers Mensing’s case is part of a multidistrict litigation filed by passengers who say Uber drivers assaulted or harassed them.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Target.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/target. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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