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targeted

verb

past tense of target
as in harassed

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for targeted
  1. harassed
  2. taunted
  3. tormented
  4. pestered
  5. ragged
  6. baited
  7. bugged
  8. teased
Verb
  • The National Labor Relations Board is currently considering allegations that Innercare illegally harassed and terminated employees during the 2024 unionization drive.
    — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen and other new starters harassed Baker Mayfield throughout the game in a 33-27 victory.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of harassed
Verb
  • The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) announced an investigation after Al Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves appeared to be taunted by the chants during their away league win on Saturday.
    — Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The rivalry between the two stars dates back to the 2023 NCAA women’s national championship game, when Reese's LSU Tigers defeated Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes and Reese famously, and without class, taunted Clark in the closing moments.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of taunted
Verb
  • The series follows a group of Los Angeles teenagers in the 1980s who are being tormented by a serial killer known as the Trawler.
    — Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Parents of children murdered at Sandy Hook in 2012 were tormented for years by conspiracy theorists who claimed their kids hadn’t really died.
    — Elle Reeve, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of tormented
Verb
  • Llínas and his wife, actress Laura Peredas, circle a neighborhood in vain looking for a statue while being pestered by their children.
    — Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Bowers was unable to see his rookie-year production in 2025 due to his PCL sprain and bone bruiser that pestered him since Week 1’s victory over the New England Patriots.
    — Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of pestered
Verb
  • On that night in March, to the surprise of nobody, Arsenal ran their mid-table Premier League hosts ragged, beating them 5-1, with Henry and Freddie Ljungberg scoring twice, and Kolo Toure netting the other.
    — Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
Definition of ragged
Verb
  • Southampton’s first game of the season was at Watford, whose fans baited Eckert’s team.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • In our testing, a paper-funnel trap baited with overripe fruit and fruit-forward vinegar consistently caught the most flies.
    — Emma Jacobson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of baited
Verb
  • The indictment revealed that prosecutors had bugged the Aisenbergs' home for three months after Sabrina's disappearance.
    — Curran Rastogi, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, a law-enforcement agency known as NABU, had bugged Mindich’s apartment in Kyiv, and detectives picked up his conversations about Fire Point.
    — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
Definition of bugged
Verb
  • The studio teased the adaptation during its CinemaCon presentation earlier this year after first announcing the project at CES in 2025.
    — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Lee teased the partnership over the summer at San Diego Comic-Con, assuring the audience in Hall H that the DC IP would be in good hands with the Stuart team.
    — Katie Campione, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of teased
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.

Browse Nearby Words

target
targeted
targeting
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Cite this Entry

“Targeted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/targeted. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

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