target 1 of 2

noun

ˈtär-gət How to pronounce target (audio)
Definition of targetnext
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

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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

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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

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target

2 of 2

verb

as in to taunt

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of target
Noun
Not everyone wants to be an explorer, but for people who do, Mars is this incredibly intriguing target. — Lee Billings, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2026 That creates another layer of variation alongside differences in active ingredients and receptor targets. — Emma Clapp, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Verb
The hope is that the mRNA vaccine can target emerging strains quicker, according to the CDC. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026 Keep watching your accounts afterward RatHat can target banking credentials and authentication codes, so cleaning the phone should not be the end of your response. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for target
Recent Examples of Synonyms for target
  1. victim
  2. joke
  3. goal
  4. taunt
  5. prey
  6. fool
  7. aim
  8. harass
Noun
  • In delivering her victim impact statement, Collins’ mother said their family can’t look at a bathtub without thinking of what happened.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The entry is paired with a suite of portraits of a number of Black men and women wearing MooreWraps, versatile multi-wear garments created by Moore’s sister with proceeds donated to victims of domestic violence and incarceration.
    — Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of victim
Noun
  • Fitoussi said the project began almost as a joke, with the idea of casting one of France’s busiest actors as someone who never gets to act.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • This set off a series of jokes between Meriwether and the cast, along with confirmation that there are no real plans for a reunion at this time.
    — Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of joke
Noun
  • The Biden administration built it back and set a goal of admitting 125,000 refugees during the final year of his term.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The company currently takes about a day to build a robot, with the goal of reducing the process to approximately one hour next year.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of goal
Verb
  • The woman, who also reported it to the league, alleged that Jackson refused to delete the video and taunted her with it.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Last week, Greenlaw was fined $11,941 for unsportsmanlike conduct after taunting the Broncos' sideline and head coach Sean Payton.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of taunt
Noun
  • The story follows a celebrated pediatric heart surgeon whose daughter falls prey to a vengeful ghost.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Calvin’s eager-to-please son, Wade (Charlie Heaton), watches his captain fall prey to unnaturally turning tides.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of prey
Noun
  • Don’t let the building’s modern facade fool you, the rooms are minimalist yet warm with wood flooring, floral wallpaper, and hand-knotted rugs.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
  • In these labors, Carson is akin to two other recent laureates, Jon Fosse and László Krasznahorkai, our foremost writers of holy fools.
    — Merve Emre, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of fool
Noun
  • Its aim is to make rail practical for shipments that are often moved by trucks because conventional freight trains are less flexible on shorter routes.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Prepare a grill for 2-zone cooking and aim for Warp 10 on the direct heat side.
    — Candy Hom, AJC.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of aim
Verb
  • In an interview with Inside Edition on Tuesday, store owner Adam Rubin said that his store has been review-bombed since Clarkson took to social media and named the store, and employees and surrounding businesses have been harassed.
    — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Kirschner said that his staff has been overwhelmed with homeless individuals causing property damage and harassing customers.
    — Melody Xu, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of harass

Browse Nearby Words

tardy
target
targeted
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Cite this Entry

“Target.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/target. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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