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, 13 June 2026
And while Ohtani did not play because of a left knee injury, the Dodgers are, after all, back-to-back World Series champions, the model franchise in the game and the team with the biggest targets on their back.
—Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2026
Lisa Jarvis, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026
That has helped Ukraine’s long-range drones more reliably target Russian oil and gas infrastructure, producing spectacular explosions and reducing Russian refining capacity by at least 20 percent.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for target
Noun
McShane stuck to her $652 price target, implying plenty of upside ahead.
—Michael Bloom, CNBC, 13 June 2026
And while Ohtani did not play because of a left knee injury, the Dodgers are, after all, back-to-back World Series champions, the model franchise in the game and the team with the biggest targets on their back.
—Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2026
Verb
Are there benefits to combining it with chemo, immunotherapy or experimental treatments that target specific mutations in RAS?
—Lisa Jarvis, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026
That has helped Ukraine’s long-range drones more reliably target Russian oil and gas infrastructure, producing spectacular explosions and reducing Russian refining capacity by at least 20 percent.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for target
Recent Examples of Synonyms for target
Noun
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Investigators determined the victim was Edgar Carlos Garcia, then 39, of Mexico, who died after sustaining fatal injuries during an altercation that took place inside the warehouse.—
Reeti Malhotra,
Sacbee.com,
20 June 2026
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The Israeli strikes killed five people around the town of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, according to the official news agency NNA, and the army said a soldier was along the victims.—
Caitlin Danaher,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
Their purpose was partly decorative and partly protective, but the visual joke became unavoidable.—
Peter Lyon,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
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The fierce woman who always wore black, who could light up a room with her sly jokes and smoky laughter, grew quieter and more fragile after losing her lover.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 June 2026
Noun
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Wood then chested the ball back to Just, who took one touch before kicking the ball in for New Zealand’s first goal in the seventh minute.—
Iliana Limón Romero,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
-
Al-Amri may have the goal, but Al-Owais is surely the star man of this game thus far.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
16 June 2026
Verb
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The woman alleged that Jackson repeatedly refused to delete the video and then taunted her with it.—
Gary Klein,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
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When Metcalf and others asked him to leave, Anthony taunted and provoked Metcalf, took out a knife and stabbed him, prosecutor Bill Wirskye said, according to KTVT.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Noun
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Adult caimans consume a wider variety of prey than younger animals, further increasing their ability to thrive in different habitats.—
Sergio Candido,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
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Magnificent Frigate-bird — Relentless defensively; hunts by chasing other birds and forcing them to drop their prey.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
This game makes fools of us all.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
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But while that conversation was happening upstairs, Brian was downstairs making a fool of her yet again.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
In fact, the aim of the video, which is described as an experimental prototype, is to make the archaeologists’ findings more accessible to non-experts, according to a social media post by the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.—
Margherita Bassi,
Popular Science,
18 June 2026
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War is the instrument; the political aim is the purpose.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Police say Bunn stalked and harassed the woman in a blue Chevrolet Silverado and would park in areas to watch and follow her.—
CBS Baltimore Staff,
CBS News,
13 June 2026
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The mayor’s social media message follows multiple incidents involving Knicks fans harassing Spurs supporters, some of which escalated into physical violence.—
Chantz Martin OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Target.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/target. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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