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
Sophie Yeo, The Dial, 4 Nov. 2025
He's made New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani a frequent target as Republicans try to portray Democrats as too far left.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
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
Unfortunately, that target — a key part of the Paris Agreement struck at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) — has since proven to be almost certainly impossible to achieve.
—Sophie Yeo, The Dial, 4 Nov. 2025
He's made New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani a frequent target as Republicans try to portray Democrats as too far left.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
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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Some analysts argue that while Christians have been targeted by Boko Haram and other Islamist groups seeking to impose their extreme interpretation of Islamic law, Muslims, including those considered moderate, have also been victims of those groups.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
-
According to the investigators' notes, the victims left a sliding door open on the night of the attack for Goncalves' dog, who was found unharmed in her bed.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The comedy is a tonal mess, veering between underdeveloped jokes and unearned sentiment.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
-
How did Joy nearly die in the wilderness of Colorado, a place that, in a joke the film keeps repeating, is almost all white people?—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
With their passage, Mamdani as mayor gets a boost towards his goal of building 200,000 more units of permanently affordable housing over the next 10 years.—
Kim Velsey,
Curbed,
5 Nov. 2025
-
His goal over the next year is to replace 100% of the city’s buses with low-emission and zero-emission vehicles.—
Erin McMullen,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The taunting penalty moved the Cowboys back 15 yards at a crucial juncture of the game.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
-
The kickers were so poor that Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien could have been flagged for taunting by calling for a prevent defense at his own 31-yard line just before halftime.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Shorebirds like sandpipers and plovers use this sense to detect prey beneath the sand by sensing subtle mechanical vibrations.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Many thousands flee its mandatory, indefinite military service – and some fall prey to exploitative trafficking gangs.—
Mick Krever,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The mind wants desperately to connect with a person—and fools itself into seeing one in a machine.—
Damon Beres,
The Atlantic,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Since medieval times, the colorful fool—from court jesters to Shakespeare’s characters—has used playful wit to critique authority and buffoonery to whip up excitement.—
Time,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
As part of that decision, the company is working with partners to share technical specifications and quality requirements for procuring seaworthy containers, with the aim of establishing a robust domestic production roadmap.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
4 Nov. 2025
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With the aim of building a more globally representative voting body, Monday’s announcement revealed the accepted class is comprised of 50% of people 39 and under, 58% of people of color and 35% women.—
Thania Garcia,
Variety,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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That will give defensive coordinator Zach Orr more options with his pressure packages and perhaps create less dependence on blitzes to harass the quarterback.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
-
When people are crossing the river Evros, trying to reach Greece from Turkey, many of them are harassed by Greek or EU forces.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Target.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/target. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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