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
  • Multiple women testified about their fear of being harassed or assaulted by rideshare drivers.
    — Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Around a dozen Black students expressed their concerns during a Board of Trustees meeting, saying they were harassed, intimidated and targeted with racial slurs.
    — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of harassed
Verb
  • 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
  • The older Green Lantern taunted the alien so much, that the creature detonated itself, blowing a hole into the side of the jail.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of taunted
Verb
  • Randy Arozarena already had tormented the Cubs twice in the game before stepping into the box in the ninth.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Fresh from taking six wickets in the first innings, Australia's Mitchell Starc's again tormented Bangladesh's top order as the tourists were reduced to 39-3 at lunch in its second innings on Day 2 of a fast-moving second cricket test.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of tormented
Verb
  • Homeowners can’t obtain advice or accurate estimates without handing over their phone numbers and risk being pestered by overzealous salespeople.
    — Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Players like Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Désiré Doué and more have simply pestered country after country, possessing the ball well and finding all types of angles to strike on goal.
    — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 13 July 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
  • 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
  • Some programs investigate complaints by setting small surveillance traps—often baited with light, carbon dioxide, water, or another attractant—to collect mosquitoes, identify the species, and gauge where activity is concentrated.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 3 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 launch is the inaugural step in Shiseido’s bigger strategy of building a credible reputation in fragrances for Max Mara, as executives teased other launches are on the way.
    — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • In previous materials released for season 2, Noizumi and Green teased Mizu’s continuing adventures.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 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 27 Aug. 2026.

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